The Examiner, Washington D.C. reports that Metro officials have created a special team to more closely scrutinize its hiring practices and procedures for bus drivers after after two Metrobus operators were involved in high-profile acts of violence within the past month.

On March 8, a Metrobus driver was killed by an off-duty police officer in what D.C. police have said was a botched robbery attempt. The driver, Jelani Slay, 34, had a violent past that included being charged in two killings. He had been hired by Metro just two months after he was released from a 10-year federal prison term on robbery and gun charges.

On February 28, bus driver Shawn Brim, 38, was charged with punching out a police officer dressed as McGruff the Crime Dog. Brim had earlier gun and drug arrests on his record, although prosecutors dropped the charges in both cases. He was fired March 6 after police charged him with assault.

Metro says it will not hire operators who have had one felony conviction within the last three years or two within the last 10 years. The agency also looks at an applicant’s criminal background so a person with multiple convictions and arrests is much less likely to be hired.

The agency has been reviewing its hiring and safety practices since 2007, but says it is stepping up the process as the result of these two incidents.

The team made up of Metrobus, Metro Transit Police, human resources and legal experts will review operator job descriptions, procedures, candidate qualifications, background check standards and performance tracking. 

Applicants currently go through various levels of screening before becoming a bus operator, including drug, alcohol and medical tests, driving record checks and criminal background checks. 

The agency says it can get up to 1,000 people applying for bus operator jobs and less than 100 will become Metrobus operators. 

The agency hopes to implement the tougher hiring standards as early as May.