MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5, at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. Later in the broadcast, it's Your Turn. Pakistan arrests CIA informants who helped to bring down Osama bin Laden. What should the U.S. relationship with Pakistan be? But, first, keeping Metro safe and secure, we're joined in studio by Michael Taborn.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIAs chief of the Washington Metro Transit Police, he oversees a force of more than 400 uniformed officers tasked with protecting riders across 86 stations, 12,000 bus stops and 1,500 square miles. So how safe is the system? Metro's crime stats paint a mixed picture. Most violent crime is down, but certain crimes, especially property crimes, seem to be spiking. The system has beefed up security measures, including a very controversial bag search policy.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIBut those measures can't stop a seemingly disturbed woman from making a bomb threat and bringing Monday morning commutes to a standstill, as happened this Monday. As we said, Chief Taborn joining us -- joins us in studio. Michael Taborn is chief of police of the Washington Metro Transit Police. He's worked for Metro Transit Police for more than 30 years. Chief Taborn, thank you for joining us. Good to see you again.

MR. MICHAEL TABORNThank you very much, Kojo. It's a pleasure to be here.

NNAMDII'd like to begin with what happened on the Red Line this Monday morning after a woman allegedly made threats against fellow riders.

NNAMDIThat's was the scene -- that was the late Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. But the scene apparently descended into a bit of a mess. Tell us what happened.

TABORNWell, basically, around 7:55 on Monday morning, a lady boarded the train at Rockville and started to talk very loudly on her cell phone. And some of the comments that she was making made references to killing people, things of that nature. And, reportedly, that caused some great concern on the passengers aboard that train to the extent that several of the passengers made telephone conversation calls to the Metro Transit Police, talking about a possible bomb threat that she was a part of.

NNAMDIWhat eventually happened in that situation? How was it resolved?

TABORNIt was resolved. The lady exited the train. And, reportedly, there were several packages left aboard the train. As panic set in, different patrons started to self-evacuate, and they self-evacuated onto the right-of-way because a portion of the train was still not completely on a station platform. So there were several people that exited the trains that were in the stations.

TABORNWe were able, based upon a good eyewitness testimony and observations on the part of our patrons, to identify the lady. And we subsequently had transit police officers respond, interview the lady. We had our explosive ordinance dog come check out the packages that were left on the train to deem it safe. And there were a variety of assistants that we got from Montgomery County police, but it was a chaotic scene from the standpoint of an orderly evacuation.

NNAMDIIf you have questions or comments for Chief Taborn, you can call us at 800-433-8850. You can go to our website, kojoshow.org. Send us a tweet, @kojoshow, or an email to kojo@wamu.org. Is there anything that Metro riders should know, anything that our listeners should know about how to respond, what the appropriate responses in a situation like that if one occurs in the future?

TABORNWell, first of all, we certainly do appreciate the observations of our passengers aboard the train. With the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Janet Napolitano and various messages from myself, we sort of advocate that if you see something suspicious, make sure that you report it. And that's exactly what was done in this particular case.

TABORNWe do, however, encourage our patrons to react and respond to the directions from our train operators or any Metro employees in this particular case. If, in fact, that had been done in a quick manner, then we could possibly would have eliminated the possibility of self-evacuation because that created an unsafe situation.

NNAMDISelf-evacuation is something you never really want to occur on Metro at all.

TABORNWe don't want that to happen unless it's an emergency that involves fire or something of that nature. But the key to it is that making sure that there's communication between the train operator, so he or she can give good safe directions as to what actions need to be taken and the assurance that the rail power would be removed from the entire system of that affected area.

NNAMDIWe're talking with Michael Taborn, chief of police of the Washington Metro Transit Police and taking your calls at 800-433-8850. By pretty much all public safety accounts, 2010 was not a good year for Metro, setting high marks for most crime in the Metro system. This year, some numbers are up. Some numbers are down. What is your current assessment of safety on Metro?

TABORNThe safety on Metro, as it relates to crime -- when we compare the crime that happens on the Metro, we take the position that one crime is always one crime too many. But we feel that you are much more safer in the subway system than you are in and around the jurisdictional areas that the subway serves. We report our crime statistics to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and those can go and see the statistics.

TABORNWe do have an alarming increase in our robbery snatches. And that is usually young people who are snatching iPods, iPads, things of that nature, as you stand near the train doors, and they're running away. We also have...

NNAMDIHow do you stem that tide? Because it was highly publicized when Superior Court Judge Milliken had his phone snatched by a teenager. And you got 20,000 students using the Metro system every day. A lot of young people are going to be using it during the course of the summer when they get out of school. What advice can you give to people on the one hand?

NNAMDIAnd on the other hand, what security measures can you take to try to stem the tide of those what seemed to be opportunistic crimes?

TABORNWell, first of all, we work with our area jurisdictional law enforcement agencies. Metro is privileged to have the ability on each and every day to work with 40 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, all with the same intent in mind of making our system safe. We travel 1,500 square miles throughout the national capital region. We meet with the District of Columbia public school systems.

TABORNWe meet with a variety of different entities with the expressed intent of finding ways that we can prevent our young people primarily from committing crimes while aboard Metro. We are the transportation mode for the District of Columbia school kids. And those activities that may occur in Montgomery County -- as an example, on the school bus -- is usually between the school system and the parents.

TABORNBut when it happens on our Washington Metro, it impinges upon all of the people that are trying to go to work, go to their respective schools or things of that nature. And it's something that we definitely have to deal with. And as summer approaches and school is about to let out, we have determined that there were identified areas that we have to pay particular attention to in our system.

NNAMDII was just about to ask that, because summer is coming, I know most people in neighborhoods across the region tend to expect a spike in crime. Does that also apply to mass transit and Metro?

TABORNI don't necessarily think that will be a spike in crime. We did find, last year, that there were certain segments of the system on the national capital region that young people sort of came together and they -- like the Gallery Place Metro is an example. We all know that the Washington Metro is the vehicle by which young people can travel to all parts of the national capital region.

TABORNSo whether it's Largo Town Center, whether it's Silver Spring, Union Station, we have to pay a concerted effort to the activity that's centered around the young people. And, again, working with the jurisdictional law enforcement agencies, we're in a better position to find out if there's any criminal activity actions that may take place.

NNAMDIYou know, I happen to like the Gallery Place Metro because it's where you can see such a wide cross-section of people from the area. That, of course, doesn't mean that you should not be careful when you're at the Gallery Place Metro. Don't be looking around so much that you're not looking around at your own possessions.

TABORNAbsolutely. We have a variety of different brochures that we pass out to our patrons and employees, talking about late-night travel on the Metro, how to protect yourselves for your iPods, electronic devices and just being cognizant of what you're doing and when you're doing it when you're in the subway.

NNAMDIGetting back to the issue on Monday, we got an email from Jonathan who says, "I'm sure anyone thinking there was a bomb on the train self-evacuated. But what is happening to this woman? What kind of jail time does she face?" Washingtonians apparently like swift justice. "What kind of jail time does she face? What are within a Metro rider's rights in that instance to detain that person, confront the person et cetera?" What would you advise in that situation, Chief Taborn?

TABORNWell, first of all, she is currently being evaluated at a medical institution that she's being looked at. As it stands now, no determination has been made to press any criminal charges. We've been working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, of which, when there's instances of this nature that involves the possibility of a bomb threat, we utilize their expertise.

TABORNBut right now, it doesn't appear that there was criminal intent because of the possibility of mental problems with the young lady.

NNAMDIHere is Jerry in Fort Belvoir, Va. Jerry, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

JERRYYes. I had the privilege of working about the last 10 to 12 years in counterterrorism. So I support the domestic authorities dealing with terrorism. And as I'm hearing this topic, I'm wondering, should we truly be talking about what we're going to do as a response in the event of a terrorist attack on the open air? Would that give our adversaries too much information?

NNAMDIWell, I don't know about you, Jerry, but I was speaking to the chief specifically about what riders should be advised to do in that situation. And that aspect of it has to be public information. He can address any other issues that have to deal -- to do with security that they either can or cannot make public. Chief Taborn?

JERRYI understand completely, but I know that this is not just going to be a two-minute topic. It's going to continue through the morning. I was wondering where this was going to go.

NNAMDIOkay.

TABORNWell, from the standpoint of terrorism, we know that any mass transit and open system, such as the one we have here in the nation's capital, we will get the bomb threats. We will get the suspicious packages. We work closely again, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the Department of Homeland Security, with the Transportation Security Administration.

TABORNAnd many, if not, most of the grants that we've received over the course of the last several years has assisted us in making us a better transit system with terrorism in mind. The byproducts of that terrorism effort is also one that enhances our security posture as well.

NNAMDIThank you for your call, Jerry. You, too, can also call us at 800-433-8850 or send email to kojo@wamu.org if you'd like to join this conversation with chief of police of the Washington Metro Transit, Michael Taborn. Chief Taborn, on Dec. 21, 2010, Metro began random bag searches. Six months now into that policy, couple of questions, what has been the -- well, first, what has been the experience with that so far?

TABORNWell, the experiences with bag inspection, because the process that we utilize is an actual random number is selected. And we randomly go to different stations at different times of the day. And we select that person. We swab the outer portion of that particular item, whether it's a suitcase or a bag or something of that nature. We put it into the machine. If, in fact, it's all clear, we give the person an explanation by way of a card.

TABORNAnd that person is free to go, and it's on their way. This is all done in the open areas, so all of our customers have the opportunity to not be subjected to the inspection, should they not want to.

NNAMDIThe second part of that question, or the second question, in a way, comes from our resident analyst on The Politics Hour, Tom Sherwood, who says, "Metro Police have never truly explained random bag searches, just a kind of we-know-better-than-you vagueness. Why do you do it?"

TABORNWe do it as an additional tool. It started in New York and Boston in conjunction with the Republican and Democratic National Convention. It's a way that it creates an uncertainty on the part of those who wish to cause harm. It is not an absolute guarantee that we will prevent anything. But it is that methodology that we use, and law enforcement agencies use, to have an upper hand to the possibility of eliminating any explosive device in our system.

TABORNIt's similar to what you find when you visit any of the museums around the National Capital Region or attend a sporting event. I mean, it's a cursory look into your garment, where, in the Metro, it's not a look into your possessions. It's the swabbing of the outer garment.

NNAMDIAnd it's random. And you say the point of that is just so that anybody who is thinking about doing something bad can at least have the thought in their head that they might get me.

TABORNAbsolutely.

NNAMDIGot to take a short break. When we come back, if you have questions or comments for Chief Michael Taborn of the Washington Metro Transit Police, 800-433-8850 is the number to call. Or go to our website, kojoshow.org. Join the conversation there. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWelcome back. We're talking with Michael Taborn. He is chief of police of the Washington Metro Transit Police. Chief Taborn, I forgot to ask earlier, have the random bag searches produced any results in the form of being able to find people who may have been planning some kind of attack?

TABORNNo. We haven't had any positive hits with regards to explosive devices that we found since we've implemented the bag inspection program. No, we haven't.

NNAMDIIt seems like it's almost misleading to talk about security in the whole WMATA system because different parts of the system seem to have very specific types of problems. One of the most important focus areas for law enforcement is parking garages, especially parking garages at the end-of-line stations, like Greenbelt, New Carrollton, Largo Town Center. How can you ensure a higher degree of safety in those parking garages?

TABORNWell, again, we have the privilege of working with the 40 federal state and local law enforcement agencies. And as recent as back in April, we met with 17 chiefs of police, or their respected designees, to talk about crime in and around the Metro. And it involves crime in their particular jurisdiction and what we, working together, could do to sort of have an impact on that. And there were several ideas discussed, several random patrols that the county or the city police would be doing in conjunction with our stations.

TABORNAnd we are hopeful that that will reduce the levels of crime in and around our parking lot because that makes up approximately 75 percent of the crimes that we do have. And they are crimes against property. However, no one wants to have any of their items stolen, their vehicles stolen, the GPS catalytic converter, things of that nature. But they aren't crimes against persons. They are crimes against property.

NNAMDIMost, if not all, of the 86 Metro system -- stations in the system are supposed to receive new cameras focused on the outside of those stations where a lot of the crimes occur. Who analyzes those images? How are they analyzed and where?

TABORNWell, we have a system. Part of that grant is one that we received from the Department of Homeland Security Urban Areas Security Initiative. And that is the Washington Metropolitan area's Council of Government collectively coming together with the police chief subcommittee in deciding that we all need to see and understand what's going on at our outlying stations.

TABORNAnd so, with the cameras being installed completely by the end of this year, we'll have the ability to look at traffic. We'll have the ability to look at crowd control. And we'll have the ability to look across the board with all of the law enforcement agencies in this region as to the goings and the comings of people in our system.

NNAMDIMetro has long had a camera system inside of stations, but it's my understanding that those cameras are getting older. And, apparently, the images from some of them are often unusable. What are you doing about that?

TABORNWe are working aggressively to replace all of those cameras. If we don't get the funding through any of the transit security grant programs, Metro, in their renovations of stations throughout the systems, are installing the newer model cameras. Again, this is an aggressive effort to make sure that we have clear pictures. It wasn't until maybe 10 years ago -- it was yesterday, day before yesterday, that the Metro Transit Police lost their second police officer in the line of duty, Marlon Morales, at the U Street Station.

TABORNAnd at that time, the cameras that were in the station were not providing the recording. They were just there for the benefit of the kiosk manager. And so we are very grateful for the grants that are coming in from a variety of different sources to put cameras throughout our system on the platform, in the kiosk, on the buses and elsewhere.

NNAMDII'd like to talk about the other side of the camera issue. Last month, a video of an altercation between two Metro Transit Police officers and a wheelchair-bound man was caught and posted on YouTube, showed the officers approaching the man, cuffing him and ultimately getting into an altercation that ended with the man on the ground, bleeding. First -- several questions. First, what can you tell us about that incident?

TABORNWell, I can tell you that that situation is being investigated by the District of Columbia's U.S. Attorney's Office. And they are working diligently with us to look at every aspect of that particular incident to determine if, in fact, there were criminal actions taken on the part of the officer, if, in fact, it was anything that was close to being justified as to the actions on the part of the person being arrested. So they are working diligently to look at that case in a thorough manner.

NNAMDIWhat's the written policy on confronting citizens?

TABORNWhen you say confronting citizen, we always treat employees, citizens, patrons with the utmost of respect. It depends on the actions that we see when we're investigating a crime.

NNAMDIWhat happened to the officers involved in the U Street wheelchair incident?

TABORNThey're on administrative duties. They have police powers. They don't -- they are not patrolling the system until this investigation is completed on the part of the United States Attorney's Office.

NNAMDIWe got an email from Mike in Baltimore, who says, "Could the Metro chief please reaffirm the constitutional right of individuals to take photographs in the Metro and of the Metro system and public places? Also, could he affirm that all the Metro officers and partner agencies are educated about the right to take pictures in public places and public transit systems anywhere in the U.S.?"

TABORNAbsolutely right. And the caller is absolutely correct. You do have that right to take photographs. It's a public system. And we have visitors that come in from all over the country. There have advocates who want to take pictures of transit. We do, as a matter of law enforcement, have conservations with some of those people dependent upon what they're doing and how they're going about doing it.

TABORNIf they are doing it discreetly, we want to know what's going on in the system. So we will make an inquiry, but they do have a constitutional right to do that.

NNAMDIIf you make an inquiry because you see someone taking photographs in what the officer feels is a suspicious manner, does that officer also underscore the individual's right to take pictures?

TABORNOh, yeah. Again, it's the right. And we will always follow up. We will work with our counterparts. Because, if there is a combination of activity that is centered around that particular event, it may be a harmless -- just taking a photograph. But there may be some other factors that we can share with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in our Joint Terrorism Task Force because we are always looking for suspicious activity.

TABORNAnd whether or not it means anything, I think, we have an obligation to our patrons and our employees to make sure that we're looking at everything that may somehow impact them and their safety.

NNAMDIWell, given that, we've also heard reports of young people recording various kinds of mayhem and posting it on the Web. I've seen some of it myself. And there's a sense that these technologies, these actions might be fueling some of the anti-social behavior. Is there anything you can do about that?

TABORNNo. There's nothing that we can do about it. I think everybody has a capability now of using technology to sort of capture images, to create their own story, to do a variety of different things. And they can upload it, download it. They can put it on websites. And they can do a variety of different things. So we quite frequently respond to anything that has the appearance of improprieties on the part of our police officers.

TABORNAnd so we don't discourage people from reporting things that have concern to Metro and, in particular, Metro Transit Police.

NNAMDIOn to the telephones again. Here is Eric in Manassas, Va. Eric, you're on air. Go ahead, please.

ERICYes. Good afternoon. What is the history of litigation about these inspections of bags anywhere in the country that you know of? And it would seem to me that there were (unintelligible) some court cases about it. What did the courts said about it? And I'll take my answer off the air.

TABORNOkay. There were court cases, in fact, in New York as well as Boston. And they were successful in the sense that the transit agencies were successful in the fact that they were not violating anyone's constitutional right by implementing some screening process. Again, it is no different than going to the Washington Wizards and having your bags checked in order to gain entry.

TABORNIt's all for the safety of those people who are participating in that event, as well as those people that are riding the subway in the Metro.

NNAMDIWe got an email from Susie in D.C., who says, "What's the punishment for getting caught eating on a subway car? I see people doing it all the time. And I know it's against the rules, but I don't see many people getting written up for it. Is this kind of like jaywalking? You don't see many people getting written up for that either."

TABORNIt is a citation. It is something that, with regards to juvenile, we can only issue a warning citation to a juvenile.

NNAMDIOh, yeah. There was a huge controversy over that a few years ago.

TABORNAbsent the warning, we have a custodial arrest. And so we issue the warnings with adults. We also have the latitude to issue a warning. We also have the latitude to issue a criminal citation with punishments up to $250 dependent upon the jurisdiction. So we write a considerable number of those. In fact, in 2010, we wrote approximately 6,236 citations for public ordinance violations, which are eating, drinking, smoking, things of that nature, failed to pay fare.

NNAMDIWell, here is something a little bigger than eating and drinking. I recently read that it's not illegal to carry a handgun on Metro trains and buses in Virginia. What happens if that train or bus crosses over to Maryland or the District of Columbia, and that person is found to be still carrying that handgun?

TABORNThen that person will be subjected to those criminal charges in the District of Columbia or the state of Maryland. The Commonwealth of Virginia passed an open carry, conceal law. And it's the law. And it's created a lot of concern for law enforcement. I met last week with Northern Virginia chiefs of police. And it's something that we have to re-educate our police officers because, in the past, a person with a gun was cause for some great concern.

TABORNNow, we have to make sure that the person has a legitimate right, if they are in the Commonwealth of Virginia, to possess it. In the District of Columbia, it is no problem. So if that train happens to come under the water or go across the bridge into the District of Columbia, that person will adhere to the punishment of the District of Columbia.

NNAMDII heard on the news this morning, and we checked it out, that there's a meeting this afternoon on Metro security with members of Congress. What's that all about?

TABORNI think the meeting is actually relative to safety, if I'm not mistaken, with Sen. Mikulski and the general manager, the CEO and our chief safety officer. So I think that is a look at safety on the Metro.

NNAMDIWill you be involved in that meeting?

TABORNNo, I will not.

NNAMDIWe've got an email from Jeff. "Over the past several years, I've continued to see a group of men who sing and panhandle within the system stations, usually Metro Center, lower level. While they have great voices and are pleasant to listen to, this is illegal behavior and creates an unsafe environment within the station. I always call Metro Police to tell them about this. I have no idea if they respond because I am on my train before they arrive."

NNAMDII assume that there is no response or no adequate response because I continue to see these men in the station." What is your criteria to responding to customer calls of illegal and unsafe activities?

TABORNWell, we receive approximately 60,000 calls for service each year for a variety of different things. Many of those calls for service are those types of instances that the caller -- the writer talked about. And it is against the law to panhandle or to conduct any soliciting activity in the subway system, anywhere on the Metro property. So, when we get those calls, we send a police officer, and we dispatch. We either arrest the person, or we send the person on their way.

NNAMDIHow does it -- how do you know exactly what Metro property is? Because I'm thinking that when I go to Verizon Center often, when you get to the top of the stairs on Metro, there's a guy playing great saxophone there. And right outside, there are often drummers out there. Which part of that is Metro property? Which is not?

TABORNWell, you can see -- usually, if you look at the granite edge of the platform, you'll see not the platform, but the entrance to the station. It is public space. It is the sidewalk. That belongs to the respective jurisdiction, and WMATA does not have any property -- does not control that property. However, we do -- are responsible for enforcing the laws within 150 feet of a Metro bus stop. And there are approximately 12,000 of those throughout the National Capital Region.

NNAMDIObviously, the Metro Police are expected to keep Metro secure. But some citizens group, particularly the Guardian Angels, have become involved in some crime situations while they're patrolling on Metro. What do you advise groups like the Guardian Angels to do? What do you advise citizens to do?

TABORNWell, you know, we always make sure that citizens have the ability to take certain actions. We also want to make sure that their actions don't necessarily put them in jeopardy. And so, as we encourage the participation of any group that are additional eyes and ears, as far as safety and crime is on the Metro, we don't necessarily encourage them to take any type of physical actions against our patrons.

TABORNWe had a situation, just two weeks ago, where, reportedly, a Guardian Angel had stopped someone for fare evasion. That is something that they should not be doing. You don't put hands on people for that type of crime. So we've gone to a variety of different community meetings with the -- at the 5th District's, where the Guardian Angels were present. And in the District of Columbia, there are roughly 16.

TABORNI asked the question, how many Guardian Angels were assigned to the District of Columbia? And there are 16. And so, as much as we encourage their participation, as much as the public may have the perception or the feeling that they are doing a good job, that is positive as it relates to safety on Metro. So we encourage the regular citizens to -- see something suspicious, to call into the Transit Police. And we also encourage the Guardian Angels.

NNAMDIYour coverage area covers two states on the District. Crimes committed on a Metro train or bus near a Metro station could conceivably involve officers from two or more police departments, and they could come from one of more than a dozen different police forces. Are there too many cooks in the kitchen here?

TABORNNo. We have concurrent jurisdiction. There is an obligation on the part of that jurisdictional law enforcement agency consistent with WMATA. So as trains and buses travel in the District of Columbia, the Metropolitan Police and the Metro Transit Police have the same levels of responsibility. If the crime is being committed, we both get to the scene. And whoever gets there first, we can effectively take care of our constituents.

NNAMDIYou've spoken about the importance of collaboration. How does that process typically work?

TABORNIt works in a variety of different ways. Again, we have the privilege of working in the two states in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and we're meeting collectively in Washington, D.C., with the Council of Governments Police Chiefs Subcommittee...

NNAMDISounds like a lot of meetings.

TABORNA lot of meetings. The Northern Virginia Police Chiefs Committee meeting, Prince George's County Police Chiefs Committee meetings, and we have a very, very good understanding. And the mutual aid assistance is there when called upon. We have a very limited number of police officers. And so, when we get a call for service, as an example, for a bus that has a crime, the majority of the time, the local jurisdiction agency will get there before the Metro Transit Police.

TABORNAnd it's those types of things that covering 1,500 square miles can afford us the opportunity to be at every place at all times.

NNAMDIOne more caller, Olu in Greenbelt, Md. Olu, you're on the air. Go ahead please.

OLUYes. I was wondering if a Metro Police have the right to ask cab drivers for trip manifest because they waste a lot of time asking for this when they have better things to do.

NNAMDIDid a Metro Police officer ask you? And are you a cab driver, Olu, to see a...

OLUYes, I am.

NNAMDIDo you -- can you tell us the circumstances?

OLUThey would just come to the train station. Then all they (word?), where's trip manifest, where's trip manifest? There's a lot of -- they could spend their time using their judicial (word?), I mean, you know, doing better things. I don't know how many crimes they solve (unintelligible).

NNAMDIChief Taborn, can you talk about that, please?

TABORNYes. Olu, do you have opportunities for the Prince George's County Police? Would you have any objections for them doing the same thing, asking for your trip manifest?

OLUNo. I was wondering if, you know, they have the right to. And if they do, why is it a -- you know, does what a cab (unintelligible) to the train station. They don't...

NNAMDIWhy do they raise that question, Chief Taborn? Where would...

TABORNTo make sure that they have valid -- operating a valid cab. Again, we have a variety of different transportation vehicles on our premises, and we want to make sure that the cabs, the taxis are legitimate.

NNAMDIOlu, thank you very much for you call. Chief Taborn, thank you very much for joining us. Michael Taborn is chief of police of the Washington Metro Transit Police. He's worked for Metro Transit Police for more than 30 years. We're going to take a short break. When we come back, the discussion over the Pakistani government arresting CIA informants who helped to bring down Osama bin Laden.

NNAMDIIt's Your Turn. What should the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan be? The number, 800-433-8850. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.