The Utah Transit Authority needs more cops, and this month it's training some to be ready when a new 44-mile commuter-rail line opens. Part of the job is checking tickets like a train conductor, but these cops will see it all and are armed accordingly.

"Spit it out!" Officer Carl Dinger told a handcuffed drug suspect on the 2100 South Central Pointe light rail platform Wednesday afternoon. He'd seen something white behind the long-haired man's tongue when he asked him to open wide, but now the man stuck out his tongue to reveal nothing but pink.

"Did you just swallow a rock?" the officer trainee said.

"No man," the suspect said. But someone on the train had phoned UTA's force at 801-287-EYES to report a man smoking crack cocaine, and the suspect had a glass pipe in his pocket. Dinger hauled him to the police office.

"People think we don't take a lot of action or crime, but we keep a lid on that," said Dinger, a 23-year veteran of the West Valley City police who retired and now is training to police the rails. He was drawn to UTA's increasing mission.

"What they do is important to the safety of the valley," he said.

It's about to get more important, as diesel locomotives on April 26 start ferrying workers and shoppers from Ogden and Davis County to and from downtown Salt Lake City. The force is growing from 22 to 37.

Officers will rotate assignments between TRAX light rail, FrontRunner commuter rail and patrol cars cruising the lots and bus routes. On FrontRunner they are expecting less crime, because commuter lines attract a professional clientele. Each station will have a host who takes tickets before passengers board, unlike on the TRAX honor system. But Officer Rufus Tolbert said he expects a demand for vehicle protection because of the large new park-and-ride lots.

On Thursday, Tolbert was training a new officer on the University TRAX line. On checks of three rail cars, only one rider lacked proof of payment - a score that approximates the systemwide violation rate of 1.5 percent among the 86,000 checks so far this year. Officers randomly check up to 5 percent of riders in a given month. In this case, it was a first offense and a written warning.

Tolbert shouted warnings at several people darting across the tracks along 400 South instead of using the crosswalks. Most complied, and some joked about being caught red-handed. The most important thing is public-safety education, Tolbert said. UTA cops aren't out there to raise ticket revenues.

"Sometimes a slight yell and a sense of humor helps people understand that," he said.

Moments later, though, Tolbert nearly was engaged in a chase after shouting a warning to a fleeing jaywalker he recognized. He would instead file the charge and deal with him next time.

Officer trainee Erik Simpson, a former Salt Lake City cop, said the constant action has surprised him. He has handled domestic violence, thefts and fights during his training sessions.

"I thought it would be a lot slower," Simpson said. "But I've about done the same kinds of things I did in Salt Lake City."

FARE EVASION: $117

WALKING ON TRACKS: $100

GRAFFITI: $100

SMOKING ON PLATFORM: $50

FAILURE TO PROVIDE ID: $75

LEWDNESS/URINATING IN

PUBLIC: $100

LITTERING: $50

PANHANDLING: $50

Source: UTA