Mayor Calls Cab Safety Meeting in Wake of Shootings

Mayor Maureen O’Connor plans to meet with local cab company representatives Wednesday to discuss driver safety in the wake of two shootings involving drivers last weekend.

The meeting, open to representatives from the city’s cab companies, will take place in O’Connor’s office at 2 p.m., said Paul Downey, the mayor’s press secretary.

On Monday night, O’Connor met with a group of Yellow Cab drivers and then rode with one through some of the city’s high-crime neighborhoods, Downey said.

The drivers had several suggestions for making their jobs safer, including installation of a communication link between the drivers and police dispatchers, Downey said.

The drivers also told O’Connor that they want police to inspect their cabs and make recommendations about safety, Downey said.

Concern over two recent shootings, both involving Yellow Cab drivers, prompted O’Connor to look into the matter, Downey said.

Last Friday, William Joseph Tufford, 47, was shot after struggling with an attacker during a robbery attempt. Police arrested Lester McGibbon, 33, the next morning in connection with that incident.

Then, on Saturday night, 59-year-old Leonard Brumlow was shot and killed in what appears to have been another robbery attempt. No arrests have been made yet in Brumlow’s death.

“The idea going in was to show that we are concerned,” Downey said. “She (O’Connor) wants to put all these things on the table and get feedback from the people who are on the streets.”

The Yellow Cab employees also suggested that some sort of safety course be available for drivers, and that all cab companies be required to service all parts of the city, Downey said.

Many cab companies refuse to take fares from some high-crime neighborhoods, particularly those in Southeast San Diego, Downey said.