Police to ride Durham buses

Starting this week, the Durham (N.C.) Area Transit Authority (DATA) will have police officers patrol its buses as passengers.

Police will patrol the DATA main terminal and buses from 10 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

The Durham Police Department hopes the patrols will curb violence after a recent spate of incidents on and around buses. Last week a DATA bus carrying three passengers was fired at by an unknown gunman.

“We'll be riding the buses on some days, some days we'll be following,” police chief Steve Chalmers told reporters.