Cabbies learn to stay safe

Checker Cab driver Kenneth Marcum was carrying $45 in his pockets when he drove to an apartment complex in east Las Vegas to drop off two passengers.

One of them pulled out a gun and fatally shot Marcum. The assailant and his accomplice, both of whom were eventually convicted of murder, then grabbed the money and ran.

Ten days earlier, the two men had robbed another cabby, William R. Walker, of $20. Walker survived.

No one disputes that driving a cab can be a dangerous job. They never know who is getting into their car. They carry cash and can be sent into sketchy neighborhoods.

Eighteen cabdrivers have been killed in Clark County since 1971, according to the Nevada Taxicab Authority. That's six more than the 12 law enforcement officers killed on duty during the same time.

Thirteen firefighter deaths in Clark County have been classified as on-duty fatalities since 1971. Firefighters who die of cancer believed to be caused by breathing toxic substances are considered line-of-duty deaths, said Rusty McAllister, president of the Professional Firefighters of Nevada.

But times have changed for the better for cabbies, according to Nevada Taxicab Authority chief investigator Joe Dahlia. Only seven drivers have been robbed this year, he said, and suspects have been arrested in six of those cases. That is about one-tenth of the robberies that occurred during peak crime years of the early 1990s.

Most cabbies and taxi officials credit cameras in cabs as well as safety training for the decrease. Since 2006, all cabs in Clark County have been equipped with video cameras that operate for a few seconds when passengers enter and leave the cab. As a result of privacy concerns raised by the American Civil Liberties Union, they do not film passengers during the ride.

Also, all 8,000 licensed cabdrivers in Clark County must complete an annual two-hour safety program, Dahlia said. That's on top of the eight-hour safety course they must take before being licensed.

Cabbies learn to remember details about passengers in case they are robbed and need to identify them for police.

Dahlia said safety instructors tell cabdrivers not to pick up people who try to flag them down, but only take fares from designated cab stands or those who telephone them to come to pick them up at a specific address.

Before, when there were no cameras, there were problems with customers, said Ahmed Abdul, who works for Nellis Cab Co.

Abdul recalled the time he picked up three women at the Bellagio who wanted a ride to Circus-Circus. During a disagreement about which side of Las Vegas Boulevard Circus-Circus was located -- the women insisted it was on the east -- the passengers began hitting Abdul.

He called his dispatch center and Las Vegas police. Abdul said he was arrested because, he believes, he had no camera to document the events. "Since cameras have been in the cars, it's been good," he said.

Abdul was not surprised to learn that more cabdrivers lose their lives in the line of duty than police officers.

"Police officers have guns; I have my pen and my dispatch," he said.

Samuel Liben, a Union Cab Co. driver, said he would have second thoughts about his profession if his taxi wasn't equipped with cameras. Liben said most passengers are respectful, but he has ferried visitors who he believed to be behaving in a threatening manner.

"If I don't feel comfortable, I will tell them (about the camera)," Liben said. "Most customers, if they're going to do bad stuff to a cabdriver, they will think twice about it."

The Nevada Transportation Authority, which regulates cabs in all areas outside of Clark County, does not require video cameras. Cabs in Reno, which do not have cameras, are equipped with global positioning systems that allow dispatchers to track their whereabouts.

In both Reno and Las Vegas, cabdrivers can activate a green light on top of their vehicles to warn police that they are experiencing problems with a passenger.

"We also teach them to be aware of people who ask questions when they get in the cab," Dahlia said.

How is your day going?

Can you change a $100 bill?

These are queries a robber might have in gauging whether there's a good score to be made.

Dahlia's advice: "Tell them you are having a terrible day."

Andrew MacKay, chairman of the Transportation Authority, said the law does not give his state agency as much control over cabdrivers in Reno and other parts of Nevada as the Taxicab Authority asserts in Clark County.

The agency does not keep track of cabdriver killings and robberies. But three different cabbies said they can recall six drivers being killed in Reno since the 1970s.

Only 209 cabs are licensed by the state to operate in Reno, compared with 2,225 in Clark County. Fewer than 100 operate in the state's other counties.

In Reno, cabdrivers say they feel safe, although they make it a point to eyeball each passenger.

"I am pretty good at profiling people," said 16-year driver Joseph Middleton as he waited for passengers outside the Cal-Neva. "I have had fights, but I have never been robbed. I won't pick up drunks."

Middleton remembers earning $70,000 a year. On a recent day, in seven hours, he received $30 in fares.

Twenty-eight year driver Jay Schmidt relies on intuition to help keep him safe. If he feels there is a problem he immediately tells the passengers to get out.

"I know when something isn't right because I am used to dealing with different types of people," said Schmidt, who has never been robbed.

Wanda O'Connor said most of her passengers are locals.

Recently, she drove a 90-year-old woman to Wal-Mart and picked up a man at Harrah's toting slot change.

"The biggest danger I have faced is the chance of being hit over the head with a bucket of nickels," she said. "Reno is still a pretty small town with friendly people."

Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 703-383-2904.