Words of warning: Beware of pickpockets and snatch-and-grabs. Thieves ride public transit, too -- and cell phones, iPods and the like are some of their favorite targets.  Metro opened its doors on March 27, 1976, with five stations on the Red Line, from Rhode Island Avenue Northeast to Farragut North, covering just 4.6 miles. None of Metro's 51,260 pioneering riders that March day was yet in possession of an iPhone or iPod.

Now encompassing five lines, 86 stations and 106.3 miles, with the Silver Line under development, Metro is experiencing an uptick in robberies because of the proliferation of cell phones, iPods of all sizes, and designer coats and handbags.

(The initial phase of the Silver Line, linking Tysons Corner and Reston to the existing Falls Church stations, is slated to open in 2013. The second phase, to continue west to Dulles International Airport and Ashburn in Loudoun County, does not have a construction date yet.)

In May, Metro Transit Police activated a Robbery Suppression Squad. The plainclothes unit has made more than 60 arrests. On a recent Wednesday, five young adults were arrested at Gallery Place/Chinatown when an iPhone was used in a decoy operation, according to Deputy Chief Jeff P. Delinski.

"What we've seen is a dramatic increase in robberies, particularly in trains and on platforms. These have not been carried out with force or weapons, but instead have been perpetrated by pickpockets in snatch-and-grabs," Chief Delinski said.

Gallery Place/Chinatown, with its active night life, sports venue and proximity to restaurants, movies and shopping, has become "D.C.'s Times Square," the deputy chief says. Metro has responded by deploying a dozen officers Friday and Saturday nights, complemented by the presence of Metropolitan Police.

Between 7 and 8 p.m., three uniformed transit officers are visible patrolling the east side of Seventh Street Northwest, where the 70 bus arrives, and the south side of H Street, where many buses - including the 80 and X2 - arrive. Metropolitan Police are visible in cars and on foot as well.

Transit police have arrest powers within 150 feet of a Metrobus stop.

"Young kids, usually in groups, do the robbing. Or people try to be slick and bump up against you," says Taylor Williams, 16, a junior at Flowers High School in Prince George's County. She has seen people's iPods, iPhones and wallets taken on the train and bus.

"The Metro has designed itself to be one of the safest systems in the country. There are high ceilings and few places to hide. I feel safe on the train," says Paul Lockaby, 25, a software engineer in Fairfax who has been taking the Orange Line into the city for four years.

Others say they feel safe, too, though they have seen violence firsthand.