Metro continues with plans for its own police force, as travelers increasingly use the timetable. express security concerns after recent crimes within the system.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Metro Board voted to establish its own Transit Community Public Safety Department, phasing out the current model of contracting with other agencies over a five-year period. It determined that returning to in-house policing would better serve the system and its unique challenges and would provide cost savings.
Metro requested a feasibility study in March 2023 to explore an alternative to the existing police partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff, and the Long Beach Police Department.
In June 2023, the feasibility study came back with findings that an in-house police department would not only save tens of millions of dollars annually, but also that having its own police force would mean officers would be more connected and committed to Metro.
The report said an internal police department could tailor its strategies and partnerships to address issues unique to public transit, such as fare evasion and disorderly conduct.
An internal model “allows transit agencies to have greater control and accountability over the safety and security of their services. It allows for a more immediate and responsive response to incidents, as well as a deeper understanding of the specific safety issues and needs of the transit system,” Justice Research Consultants, LLC wrote in the report.
Between 1989 and 1997, Metro had its own police department, the MTA Transit Police Department. In 1996, the Metro Board chose to merge its MTA police with LAPD and LASD and contract with these agencies for police services.
Since 2018, Metro’s Office of the Inspector General has conducted annual reviews of Metro’s law enforcement contracts. These reviews have consistently found that multi-agency contracts are largely ineffective in the areas of visible presence on buses and trains, staffing at key critical infrastructure locations, and monitoring and oversight of contract law enforcement personnel to ensure they are fully patrolling the subway system.
Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles and chair of the Metro Board of Governors, recently ordered an “immediate increase” in public safety personnel on buses and trains to increase their visibility and deter crime. recent violent attacks near or on public transport.
In April alone, two metro bus drivers were attackedone of them was stabbed. Another incident in April led to the death of a 67-year-old woman who had boarded a subway train in North Hollywood. She was stabbed and killed in an apparently unprovoked attack.
