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Committee hears testimony on expanding felony protection for transit operators
Summary
Transit unions, operators and agencies told the Senate Judiciary Committee SB 1124 would extend existing class C felony protections and aggravated assault provisions to transit operators when they are performing official duties off the driver's seat, and witnesses described frequent assaults and near‑fatal incidents.
Senate Bill 1124 would expand Oregon's existing criminal penalties so assaults against public transit vehicle drivers qualify as third‑degree assault (a Class C felony) when the driver is performing official duties, and would make it aggravated assault to knowingly propel bodily fluids or other dangerous substances at a driver while on duty, committee staff said at the hearing.
Union leaders, operators and transit agencies urged passage, describing a sustained rise in assaults and threatening incidents against operators across the state. Witnesses recounted physical assaults, spitting, and a recent hostage incident in which a driver was forced to drive at gunpoint.
Bill Bradley, an executive board officer with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, said the current statute applies a felony only when an operator is in direct control of a vehicle while driving, leaving a legal gap when operators perform other official duties while stopped. "This change is vitally important because violence against our operators is an issue that's on the rise," Bradley said, and urged the committee to support SB 1124.
TriMet operator Mike Peralta described being taken hostage at gunpoint on Jan. 29. "He forced me to drive the bus, through Downtown Portland, all the while ratcheting up his threats and aggression," Peralta told the committee. Peralta said the incident left him uncertain when he will feel safe returning to work and urged the committee to act.
Union members and agency officials urged a combination of legal changes and operational responses: stronger criminal penalties, increased transit security, operator barriers, de‑escalation training and closer coordination with local prosecutors. Andrew Wilson, TriMet's executive director of safety and security, described a national and local rise in problematic behavior on transit following the pandemic and said TriMet has expanded surveillance and developed a partnership with the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office to improve enforcement.
Henry Beasley, vice president of ATU Local 757, provided an agency‑collected incident tally and trends going back to 2010 and said assaults on transit workers number in the hundreds annually. Beasley told the committee the union supports SB 1124 as "a step in the right direction." Lane Transit District CEO Jameson Otten said LTD recorded more than 190 assaults on buses and at facilities in 2024 and urged the committee to "equalize the protections provided to our operators regardless of where they are working."
Committee members asked about enforcement and data collection; TriMet officials said they have district attorney partners and investigators working to hold perpetrators accountable and that TriMet began capturing a broader set of assault and harassment incidents in 2020 as a leading indicator. The hearing record shows significant witness support but no recorded committee vote during this meeting.
