WASHINGTON 鈥� With a 鈥渄ysfunctional鈥� organization and 鈥渟ystemic鈥� problems identified by federal investigators who saw staff actively violate safety or other policies firsthand, D.C.鈥檚 Metro system and the Baltimore Police Department are facing similar challenges to turn their agencies around and rebuild trust with the public.
Baltimore Police Department鈥檚 problems recently were laid bare in . In Metro鈥檚 case, the findings came through from the Federal Transit Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.
The blame game
James Bailey, a professor of leadership and management at George Washington University, said the agencies and their relatively new leaders 鈥� and 鈥� have the opportunity to turn things around. They can show they care about the people in the community, as well as the workers, without starting a 鈥渨itch hunt,” Bailey said.
鈥淭his becomes one of the biggest stumbling blocks because everybody is on a witch hunt, [and] everybody is trying to avoid blame. There鈥檚 a lot of duck and cover activity 鈥� ‘That this isn鈥檛 me, it鈥檚 them.’ A lot of finger pointing,”聽Bailey said. “And so it鈥檚 often times difficult to get to the source of the issue and to lay down a rational plan for addressing it because of this almost sort-of-paranoia that results from this. A lot of people are afraid they鈥檙e going to lose their job here and they鈥檙e naturally protecting themselves.鈥�
The Department of Justice report used the word 鈥渟ystemic” 20 times in its report on Baltimore, and cited one case where, even with a federal monitor riding with an officer, a supervisor directed the officer to make unconstitutional stops of black men.
In a statement released after the report, the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 said the findings were 鈥渄isturbing鈥� but said it would not allow the Department of Justice 鈥渢o lay blame on the shoulders of the dedicated men and women of the Baltimore Police Department.鈥�
鈥淚t is a clear indictment of the failed leadership at all levels of city government,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淲hile many will attempt to cast blame on the police officer working the street, the Department of Justice states in their Executive Summary, and we agree, that this failure is the result of 鈥榮ystemic deficiencies at BPD.鈥欌��
In D.C., the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 won at arbitration with an argument that Metro鈥檚 problems were so deep that a tunnel fan inspector who was fired, should be reinstated. The inspector was accused of falsifying testing records for聽fans near the smoke-filled train that led to the death of Carol Glover in 2015.
The arbitration panel found that 鈥渄ischarge may have been warranted but for systemic issues.鈥� o to honor the arbitration ruling.
Federal probes
After the investigation into Glover鈥檚 death, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart said safety problems .
鈥淔rom WMATA鈥檚 lack of certain safety procedures and its deviation from established ones, this accident reveals a compromised safety system and a dysfunctional organizational culture,鈥� Hart said.
A worker in Metro’s rail operations control center reportedly told investigators that 鈥渢he right hand didn鈥檛 know what the left hand was doing鈥� during the聽fatal incident.
鈥淭ransforming a culture where deviations from the very procedures designed to keep people safe is the norm, to a culture that is intolerant of compromises in safety is a significant challenge for WMATA,鈥� Hart said in spring. 鈥淏ut that kind of change can be done, and it must be done for the sake of all, including me, who ride on this Metro system.鈥�
The FTA聽released a report in August that found that track inspection and maintenance crews often did not know what they were doing or did not follow up on problems. In response, the union said in a statement that 鈥渓ittle has actually changed鈥� in the last decade to change Metro鈥檚 safety culture.
In at least two cases, federal inspectors saw Metro workers allow trains to run on tracks that should have been taken out of service for safety. , that there was pressure or confusion that led to safety failures, and that inspection and maintenance crews are significantly understaffed.
The report and inspections following a derailment in July have to Metro鈥檚 24/7 track work plan and additional weekend shutdowns through at least October.
This week, detailing how maintenance machines and dozens of trains passed stop signals, putting workers and riders at risk, and how, in some cases, trains were coming within a few hundred feet of a collision.
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said in a statement that it was a sign that there is still a long way to go since two trains collided near the Fort Totten station seven years ago.
“I am pleased that FTA acknowledged Metro鈥檚 new leadership is making progress in its effort to rebuild a safety culture,” he said. “But this again shows the monumental task ahead of them.鈥�
Brokering a change in culture
Bailey said Metro and Baltimore police need to start with finding the sources of the problems to move the focus from 鈥渨ho is responsible鈥� to 鈥渨hat can we learn.鈥�
鈥淚 know this sounds a little touchy-feely, but it鈥檚 a completely different attitude that leads to a completely different engagement,鈥� he said.
Any successful culture turnaround would take many years, but it could begin with some small, positive steps.
鈥淏altimore鈥檚 already taking steps to this, and so is Metro 鈥� those early victories that are important,鈥� Bailey said. 鈥淭he problem with the early victories is that oftentimes the vigilance gets lost over a period of time because the pressure, the external pressure, goes away.”
These early victories could mean trouble down the road, Bailey said.
“Reputation has gone up a little bit, things seem to be operating fine, and then all this change, all the excitement that鈥檚 been built around it 鈥� the urgency that has been present evaporates, and so the thing never really takes root, but rather the problem might end up cycling back again,鈥� he said.
Metro leaders have聽, including after the Fort Totten crash and in聽. Demonstrating that the culture has changed could increase riders鈥� confidence in the system and help reverse, Bailey said.
Bailey said to make the change takes a 鈥済uiding coalition鈥� with power and respect top to bottom to make the changes seem second-nature, and that rewards and constant support for the change emanate from the very top, through the front-line supervisors.
鈥淭hat involves a 鈥� very clear vision: this is what we鈥檙e doing, this is why we鈥檙e doing it, and this is who we鈥檙e going to be when we finish it up,鈥� Bailey said.
鈥淧ractice, practice, practice, I mean once people have done it over and over again and been rewarded to it, it becomes the new default, right? I mean in some ways you鈥檙e reprogramming people鈥檚 brains and their habits and their routines,鈥� he said.
