Recent Events Make Police Commissioner Ever-More-Wary of Uber Checks

The governor might have signed new regulations on mobile ride-hailing companies into law, but the Boston Police Commissioner's worries have only grown.

In an interview with Boston Public Radio, Commissioner William Evans outlined the source of his latest concern: a case that didn't go public due to the victim's wishes, not to mention an incident of alleged child rape by an off-duty Uber driver in Everett.

Evans, from the start, has been among those opposed to the new state regulations on mobile ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft. Although the law adds a state background check for drivers (in addition to the company's preexisting checks), Evans wanted the more comprehensive fingerprint check included in the law.

On WGBH, Evans described an incident in Boston of a young woman allegedly sexually assaulted by a driver who picked her up while she was intoxicated. The police commissioner said BPD discovered the man had a criminal record, and tried to confirm his status as a driver with the company. But, he said, Uber requested an affidavit first. Police then called the man's probation officer, who confirmed he was indeed an Uber driver, Evans told WGBH.

"Those are the challenges we have right now," Evans said. "It bothers me."

He encouraged people, especially women, riding with such services to confirm that the pictured driver on their app matches the person picking them up.

He said he doesn't understand the company's opposition to fingerprinting.

"I just don't get it," he said. "We can never be too safe."

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has previously said he believes fingerprinting would lead to "unjust" discrimination against people tied up in the criminal justice system, who sometimes have a hard time finding work if they've been arrested.

Evans objected to the premise in the WGBH interview, saying an arrest history shouldn't be enough to prevent someone from driving, but a history of violent crime or sexual assault should. That's the case for drivers certified for BPD's hackney carriage unit, he said.

>> Photo via Boston Police Department