Jun 14, 2021
On the afternoon of May 5, 2021, a young woman came to the Customer Service Information Desk and asked the Customer Service Staff Member, Travis if she could use our work phone to call her mother. This is not a normal request, so Travis talked to his Supervisor, Zakiya, to make sure this was ok. As Zakiya observed the young woman, she felt something did not seem quite right. She asked the young woman if she was ok and she responded no.
Zakiya immediately reached out to Transit Police Officer Maria, who was stationed at Tower City, and requested her assistance. As they talked to the young woman, they were able to find out that she came to Cleveland, Ohio with someone she trusted from Tallahassee, Florida. The person had taken her phone and money. Furthermore, the young woman had recently been released from Cleveland Clinic Hospital, as she was wearing a 'high fall risk' hospital bracelet. The young girl was scared and reluctant to give much information at the time.
Officer Maria and Zakiya wanted to assist the young woman in contacting her mother. They tried contacting her mother and her stepmother through several social media platforms, but were unsuccessful. Officer Maria contacted her Transit Police Dispatcher and Management Team. and shortly after, Sergeant Khisa arrived at Tower City to assist. They took the young woman to the Transit Police office to speak with her to find out what was going on and to gather more information. The officers were able to contact the Florida Police Department who were able to go the home of the young woman’s mother and speak with the mom directly. The young woman’s mother spoke with our officers and she purchased her daughter a plane ticket to get back home. The officers escorted the young woman to the airport to ensure her safety in getting back home.
We are so proud of the work that our Customer Service Staff and Transit Police have done in this situation. They can take pride in knowing that their efforts helped make a lasting impression on a girl and her mother. Job well done!
