(070116 Boston, Ma) A page from the MBTA Money Room Security Assessment document. Courtesy of the MBTA.
From the AP's TheBig Story:
BOSTON (AP) — The facility that handles cash for Boston's transit system is riddled with security weaknesses that pose risks of theft and physical danger to employees, according to an outside review made public Tuesday.
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Known as the money room, the facility in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood collects and counts an estimated $119 million a year in cash placed in fare boxes and fare vending machines, along with about $75 million from parking meters, turnpike tolls and other revenue for the state Department of Transportation and the cities of Boston and Cambridge.
The review conducted by consultants hired by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority found that, among other things, security doors were left propped open and without alarms, allowing unsecured access from outside the building. A door to the vault room was duct-taped, a freight elevator was unsecured, cashbox keys were unaccounted for and cameras were missing or had been removed from guard stations.
Additionally, the review found that employees entering the building did not have their IDs verified, and firearms licenses were not checked consistently.
Read the rest of the story here.
