Transit driver faces firing for chasing sex assault suspect

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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Transit driver faces firing for chasing sex assault suspect
By Michele Mandel, Toronto Sun

TORONTO -- This is not the better way.
Shame on the TTC for ordering driver Dino Oroc to hang up his uniform after he left his busy Queen 501 streetcar Wednesday afternoon to give chase to a man who had reportedly just sexually assaulted a female passenger on his route.
According to police, the streetcar was heading eastbound on Queen St. when a woman told the operator that she'd been sexually assaulted on the car by a stranger who had just exited near John St. The victim went to chase after her assailant and his union says Oroc didn't want her to go alone.
The 10-year veteran called transit control to contact police, put his flashers on and followed in pursuit, worried that the woman may come to some harm. Oroc, a marathon racer, got as far as Richmond and Peter streets before losing sight of the suspect.
Good on him, right?
Not according to his employer. The rules say that operators are not to leave their seats, let alone their vehicles, unless someone is in imminent physical danger.


"He's been relieved of duty," TTC spokesman Brad Ross said. "On the face of what we know today, the proper procedures and protocols were not followed and we have to make sure they are."
Transit union president Bob Kinnear is astounded that the TTC would rather quote the rule book than commend a driver who went above and beyond his duty to help a customer in distress.
"Is this their idea of better service - to sit in our seats while passengers are criminally attacked?" demanded Kinnear, head of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113. "They have a policy and it's cut and dry, black and white, for them."
Oroc, he said, was trying to ensure his passenger wasn't harmed. "I'm quite proud of this operator," he added. "He should be commended for what he's done and not penalized and fired."
Kinnear said the TTC's action is especially discouraging at a time when the transit system is trying to foster a new attitude after years of customer complaints. "It's frustrating for us because I encourage our members to help out our passengers. We're the eyes and ears of the city. We're the keepers of the city."
This punitive treatment of Oroc will only set that all back.
"I can guarantee when we discuss this at the Sunday meeting, hundreds of operators are going to tell me, 'We're not going to do nothing, we're not going to get out of our seats'."
TTC chair Karen Stintz didn't return a call for comment.
Quite mindful of the bad optics, especially on a day the TTC just unveiled its new streetcars, the TTC spokesman took great pains to insist that Oroc hasn't actually been fired - yet. Relieved of his duties, the driver must appear before a disciplinary hearing where the various penalties - from reprimand to dismissal - will be considered depending on his record and the circumstances of the incident.
"Operators are not to get involved physically with any customers, that's the job of the police," Ross explained. "To chase somebody down the street is what the police are for."
By the strict letter of their policy, that of course is true. But should Oroc really have just remained at his post and let a distraught victim out alone on the street with her abuser without ensuring her safety?
You certainly don't want TTC vigilantes, stopping buses and streetcars and subways to chase down ever possible criminal who may cross their path. But we also shouldn't penalize transit employees who indulge in the very human response of wanting to help their fellow citizen. What kind of message does that send?
A message of drive on by.
And who can blame them? Knowing they can be terminated for going the extra mile for their passengers, we can likely count on the same, old surly attitude we've come to know.



Transit driver faces firing for chasing sex assault suspect - Canada - Canoe.ca
 

shadowshiv

Dark Overlord
May 29, 2007
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I read this earlier. I would rather lose my job knowing that I helped a distraught woman that could perhaps have gotten in more danger than just sit down and hear about her death/injuries in the paper the next day.

The TTC has been catching a lot of flack lately, and if this driver ends up being fired(he faces a tribunal, and hasn't been fired yet) I think the poop will hit the fan for the TTC. People have about had enough of them, and this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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I agree. I don't think he should be fired, given the information that was presented it seems he was torn between 'obeying the rules' or doing what was right on a deeper moral level and he made a choice. Similar to that lifeguard who rescued a man outside of his territory and got fired for it. He made a call.
 

shadowshiv

Dark Overlord
May 29, 2007
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I agree. I don't think he should be fired, given the information that was presented it seems he was torn between 'obeying the rules' or doing what was right on a deeper moral level and he made a choice. Similar to that lifeguard who rescued a man outside of his territory and got fired for it. He made a call.

I predict a similar crap-storm that occurred after the Lifeguard was fired if the driver does end up getting fired.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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I predict a similar crap-storm that occurred after the Lifeguard was fired if the driver does end up getting fired.

I think so too, provided the press coverage is wide enough. It was, I believe, public pressure that resulted in the Lifeguard getting his job back.
 

shadowshiv

Dark Overlord
May 29, 2007
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I think so too, provided the press coverage is wide enough. It was, I believe, public pressure that resulted in the Lifeguard getting his job back.

I don't believe he took the job. He was offered it back, but he told them to shove it(he ended up getting a better job). I think the public awareness for this case will be quite high.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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I don't believe he took the job. He was offered it back, but he told them to shove it(he ended up getting a better job). I think the public awareness for this case will be quite high.


I don't think he did either, but then lifeguards are paid a pittance. At TTC wages, the guy probably wants to keep his job, lol.
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

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May 28, 2007
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So when a driver leaves his bus/streetcar to get a doughnut or coffee, no action is taken? But if he leaves to try to get a rape suspect, he is fired? Gotta love TTC priorities.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
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Yet more proof that bureaucraps are all about mindlessly following what ever is written down. No sense of reality at all. How does anyone manage to work in a place that has that stupid of management?
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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So when a driver leaves his bus/streetcar to get a doughnut or coffee, no action is taken? But if he leaves to try to get a rape suspect, he is fired? Gotta love TTC priorities.

That's a good point, lol. Ever notice how many "authorized rest stops" are outside a Tim Hortons?
 

SLM

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Goober

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Lol. Shadowshiv called that one, for sure.

Good, I'm glad to hear it. After you hear about so many TTC employees sleeping on the job or being rude, abrasive, and just plain nasty and keeping their jobs, it would be a shame if the guy who went out of his way to try to assist someone in distress was fired.

Crats in management and the union are forced to abide by precedent in contracts- that is a major problem with both sides.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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Crats in management and the union are forced to abide by precedent in contracts- that is a major problem with both sides.

Absolutely. The big unions make the employer/employee relationship adversarial right from the start. I'm not stringently anti-union but neither am I pro-union, I think there are a few industries where it's still useful to have the collective bargaining power. The idea of course being to even out the playing field.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
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Absolutely. The big unions make the employer/employee relationship adversarial right from the start. I'm not stringently anti-union but neither am I pro-union, I think there are a few industries where it's still useful to have the collective bargaining power. The idea of course being to even out the playing field.

Collective bargaining power is generally good. especially if it is industry wide. Having unions dictate what color your $hit must be is a different story.
 

Ron in Regina

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Apr 9, 2008
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Transit driver faces firing for chasing sex assault suspect
By Michele Mandel, Toronto Sun

TORONTO -- This is not the better way.
Shame on the TTC for ordering driver Dino Oroc to hang up his uniform after he left his busy Queen 501 streetcar Wednesday afternoon to give chase to a man who had reportedly just sexually assaulted a female passenger on his route.
According to police, the streetcar was heading eastbound on Queen St. when a woman told the operator that she'd been sexually assaulted on the car by a stranger who had just exited near John St. The victim went to chase after her assailant and his union says Oroc didn't want her to go alone.
The 10-year veteran called transit control to contact police, put his flashers on and followed in pursuit, worried that the woman may come to some harm. Oroc, a marathon racer, got as far as Richmond and Peter streets before losing sight of the suspect.
Good on him, right?
Not according to his employer. The rules say that operators are not to leave their seats, let alone their vehicles, unless someone is in imminent physical danger....


I think it could be argues that this situation fit the TTC rules. Personally I think this TTC stinks.
 

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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Transit driver faces firing for chasing sex assault suspect
By Michele Mandel, Toronto Sun

TORONTO -- This is not the better way.
Shame on the TTC for ordering driver Dino Oroc to hang up his uniform after he left his busy Queen 501 streetcar Wednesday afternoon to give chase to a man who had reportedly just sexually assaulted a female passenger on his route.



Transit driver faces firing for chasing sex assault suspect - Canada - Canoe.ca

One of the problems with bureaucrats is they forget the old adage- "There is an exception to every rule".

That's a good point, lol. Ever notice how many "authorized rest stops" are outside a Tim Hortons?

They pretty have to stop there so they can relate any improprieties they've witnessed to the cops!
 

Jenson

Time Out
Nov 16, 2012
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Union slob, no way he acted bravely, they are lazy and only care about their over inflated pay for doing nothing.
 

JLM

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Union slob, no way he acted bravely, they are lazy and only care about their over inflated pay for doing nothing.

That is an ignorant remark for several reasons, the first being, short of doing brain surgery it's one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. How do you know what his Union sentiments are? I was a union member too but it wasn't my choice! He doesn't sound lazy to me. You still have a bit to learn about life!