they have on MBTA property. Therefore, MBTA Transit Police Officers have full police powers within the territorial limits of the Authority. After a rash of indecent sexual assaults on the Green Line in 2007 and 2008, detectives from the Criminal investigations Section began riding Green Line trains in plain clothes. Female detectives posed as patrons and had success in catching sex offenders in the act. Possible merger As of August 5, 2006, the local media reported the MBTA Police could merge with the Massachusetts State Police due to budgetary and staffing concerns. The union which represents the MBTA Transit Police supports this plan citing the difficulty the 257-member force has providing security for a transit system that spans 175 cities and towns in the state. They also cite a rider to officer ratio of 5,058 passengers per transit officer, far greater than the national average of 1,759 passengers per transit officer. The union reasons that after a merger, the existing MBTA officers could form a new State Police troop concentrating on providing security for inner-city Boston subway and bus systems, while state police officers could concentrate on commuter rail stations, T parking and MBTA routes outside of the city. The merger would have an effect on pay scales as the state police force has a base salary $24,000 greater than the $48,000 base salary of a Transit Police officer. The union representing state police officers opposes the merger citing different training methods and selection processes for officers and extra competition for promotion opportunities. Because of the projected cost of the merger (estimated at $11 million), the merger seems unlikely, at best. Jurisdiction The MBTA Transit Police Department has jurisdiction and full police authority in all of the 176 cities and towns that comprise the MBTA service area. Outside the 176 cities and towns, the Transit Police exercises street railway police powers on the vehicles, properties and rights of way that comprise the Commuter Rail System. The Transit Police promotes safety and security throughout Greater Boston and eastern Massachusetts, working with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The MBTA Transit Police Department provides police services to patrons and employees of the Authority on MBTA property and vehicles. Enforcement of transit-related laws off MBTA property, such as writing parking tickets at bus stops, is shared with municipal police departments, and the Massachusetts State Police on Massport and DCR property. See also