Subway Rider Busted for Selling a Token

"Transit police handcuffed and cited a man who sold a $1.75 subway token to another rider who was having trouble with a token vending machine. Transit authority spokeswoman Jocelyn Baker said Friday that the officer "acted within the law" after he spotted Donald Pirone, 42, selling the token Nov. 30 inside the West End subway station."

"Instead of giving Pirone a warning, the officer decided to handcuff him and give him the misdemeanor citation under a 1992 state law that bars passengers from selling Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority tokens, she said."

"What you've got to keep in mind is that fare abuse is a chronic problem," Baker said. "It costs MARTA millions of dollars every year."

Not much else to this story. It's just a little local news that won't get much attention, but it's the kind of event that really pisses me off. I don't live there, so I don't know what that chronic fare abuse problem is really about, but stories like this just demonstrate how those with authority love to abuse it. Whatever the underlying problem is with tokens in that city, I really doubt that the law was meant to prohibit the activity described here. And if the transit system is really losing millions every year, they should concentrate on whatever the real problem is instead harrassing people just trying to be helpful. Cops, and cop-wannabes, usually do have discretion on what is and isn't something that should be dealt with, but too many times the macho crap that led them into becoming an authority figure, takes over, and throwing their weight around takes precedence over using their brains. I know, this is a small matter, it's only a misdemeaner, and the guy will probably just pay a fine and forget about it, but these things happen all the time where the letter of the law is followed, instead of the intent of the law. And always following the letter of the law, usually does nothing to solve the problems the law was intended to solve. Of course, all those unnecessary fines do add up and make the state happy.