The Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition uncovered a interesting admission from the meeting Metro Transit Police had on January 5 with Metro’s Riders’ Advisory Council about WMATA’s random bag searches — that those who refuse such searches will “be observed…be watched.”

The Coalition provides the above video of the meeting in which Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn makes the statement. The exchange in question occurs around the 1:20 point in the clip. (For those who can’t watch the video, here is the pertinent section of the meeting transcript.) Council member Diana Zinkl was pressing Taborn on the ambiguities of what would happen to those who refuse the random search upon entering a Metro station where such searches were occurring:

CHIEF TABORN: Well I can tell you without any uncertainty that that person would be observed. And what that means to you is different than what it means to me, but that person would be observed.
DIANA ZINKL: Well could you clarify what ‘be observed’ means.
CHIEF TABORN: Be observed. Be, be observed. Be watched.
DIANA ZINKL: And when they try to get on the bus, what would happen?
CHIEF TABORN: That will be activities that law enforcement will use just as any regular law enforcement has to establish probable cause, to find out who, what, where, why, and when.