Photo by Kyle Walton

Metro put out a formal statement today on a move that was expected in the wake of two recent incidents involving Metrobus drivers, namely the police-involved fatal shooting of Jelani Slay, and the assault of a police officer dressed as McGruff the Crime Dog: the agency is moving forward with plans to review its hiring practices. “We’ve created a special team to implement more stringent selection criteria for applicants and job retention standards, particularly for bus operator applicants given recent high-profile events involving two bus operators,” General Manager John Catoe said. Given what the agency is reacting to, expect to see tougher rules about applicants with criminal histories come out of this review process. Metro says the review team is expected to implement changes as early as May.