Soldier guards asleep on duty, passengers say
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, February 13, 2002
TACOMA — Soldiers from Fort Lewis have fallen asleep and dropped their weapons while riding as guards on Pierce Transit buses, drivers have complained.
Half a dozen complaints have been filed with transit supervisors since January over the behavior of soldiers on security duty aboard the 206 bus, which links Madigan Army Medical Center with Tillicum and Lakewood.
In five cases, no passengers were aboard, and in the sixth three passengers were on the bus, the driver wrote.
A soldier is assigned to each of the approximately 45 Pierce Transit buses that serve the Army base south of the city each weekday, said Lind Simonsen, a Pierce Transit spokesman.
Army and transit officials met Tuesday. Afterward, Lt. Col. Mary Ann Cummings, a base spokeswoman, said the complaints would be investigated. As of Monday, soldiers riding shotgun no longer carry M-16 rifles, and less noticeable changes also have been made, Cummings said.
