Robberies Spike 17.6% in 2007

Electronics Targeted Often; Parking Lot Crime Also Rose

Robberies in the Metro transit system jumped almost 18 percent last year, prompting transit police to put their special robbery detail in place, officials said yesterday.

Prime targets are people busy talking or texting on cellphones or listening to MP3 players, police said.

The number of robberies rose to 414 last year -- more than one a day -- from 352 in 2006, an increase of 17.6 percent, and almost triple the rate of increase from the year before. Riders reported thefts of 58 portable music players (primarily iPods) and cellphones, which together accounted for almost a third of all robberies, officials said.

"Metro ridership has been high, and on any train or bus you'll see people carrying cellphones or using their laptops or MP3 players, making the crimes of opportunity for would-be thieves a lot more accessible," Sgt. Warren Donald said. Electronic devices are "easy to steal and easy to sell," Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said.

Metro's increase reflects spikes elsewhere in the region. Robberies in 2007 increased in Fairfax County and the District but decreased in Prince George's County, data show. In Montgomery County, robberies between January and September 2007 declined 12.7 percent, but final figures for the year haven't been counted.

Transit police redeployed their robbery unit around Thanksgiving and have made 18 arrests, Metro officials said. Plainclothes officers patrol targeted locations.

Transit police also are increasing crime prevention and awareness campaigns at Metrorail stations. Yesterday, officers went to the Anacostia Station, where 32 robberies were reported last year, to talk with customers, provide safety information, offer to label valuable items such as coats and shoes, and distribute identification decals for electronics. Riders can register devices in a national database to make them easier to track or recover if they are lost or stolen.

Thieves target riders who are listening to portable music players or using cellphones or other hand-held devices because they are not paying attention to what's going on around them, police said.

Metro's report also shows more serious crime taking place in Metro parking lots, with 930 incidents reported in 2007, a 14 percent increase over the previous year. For the first time last year, Metro police said, crime included thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles.

Since April 2007, seven such thefts have occurred, three at the West Hyattsville Metro station, including one in January, Capt. Dave Webb said. The thefts reflect the increase in property crimes around the region and elsewhere, spurred by soaring prices for salvaged metals. Catalytic converters are valued for the small amount of platinum they contain.

Thieves use a type of cordless saw with a metal blade to remove the catalytic converter, typically 12 to 14 inches long. "You can get it in a couple of minutes if you have the right tool," Webb said.

"Those catalytic converters, there's no way you can protect those," he said. "The only thing we can tell people is for them to report suspicious activity." Metro lots do not have surveillance cameras.

To protect against being a robbery target, police urge riders to be alert to their surroundings and those around them. People using an electronic device, such as a cellphone or portable music player, should set the device at a low to moderate volume so they can hear what's going on, police said. Police encouraged concealing the device inside a backpack, purse or jacket pocket, and they said black headphones are less noticeable than white ones.

If carrying a purse, hold it close to the body. If carrying a wallet, keep it in a front pocket. More crime prevention tips are on Metro's Web site, http://www.wmata.com/about/mtpd/crime_prevention.cfm.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.