L.A. Metro to launch bolstered police presence in July
The five-year, multi-agency approach includes the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department and Long Beach Police Department.
A new five-year, multi-agency approach to securing L.A. Metro's system includes the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department and Long Beach Police Department. Photo: Metro-Los Angeles
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A new five-year, multi-agency approach to securing L.A. Metro's system includes the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department and Long Beach Police Department. Photo: Metro-Los Angeles
The patrons of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) system will benefit from a substantially increased presence of law enforcement personnel beginning July 1 due to a new five-year, multi-agency approach led by Metro’s Security Team that includes the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department and Long Beach Police Department.
Law enforcement will be able to respond to incidents more quickly from within their own local jurisdictions, improving response times to approximately five to six minutes from an average of 16 minutes. Increases in personnel throughout the system will result in a consistent 314 personnel over each 24-hour period.
Metro's plan is consistent with best practices within the transit industry. Other transit agencies like Denver, Portland, Sacramento and Oakland work with multiple law enforcement agencies to patrol their systems. A multi-layered transit security strategy positions Metro to accommodate its growing transit system.
“The geographical expanse of our city makes a traditional ‘foot beat’ very difficult, but with our officers riding the buses and trains of our Metro transit system, the men and women of the department will be able to have more interaction with Angelenos, which will hopefully continue to build bridges between the department and the public,” said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.
Total reported bus and rail crimes are down on L.A. Metro's system since January 2016. Photo: Metro -Los Angeles
Total reported bus and rail crimes are down systemwide since January 2016. Metro continues to seek more improvements while also implementing a range of new safety and security measures that will protect the public while riding Metro.
“Increasing our partnership with local law enforcement agencies is one important part of a multi-layered approach that also includes integrating technology and coordinating closely with our federal agency partners to help keep the Metro System safe,” said Phillip A. Washington, Metro’s CEO.
The Plan is CTA's formal response to an FTA Special Directive issued in December and details how the agency will significantly expand the law enforcement surge it launched.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
During a safety blitz, Metra employees will visit one of the railroad’s 243 stations during the morning rush hour, distributing educational materials on train and grade-crossing safety, answering questions, and listening to riders’ safety concerns.
Operated in partnership with Tech Valley Security, trained CDTA Ambassadors will be on select routes and will rotate throughout CDTA’s route network. Their presence is intended to provide customers with an approachable, visible resource focused on assistance and engagement.
Customers have always been able to report concerns through the CATS Customer Service line or the “Report a Problem to CATS” feature in the CATS-Pass mobile app; however, CATS has also integrated a Text-a-Tip line, giving riders multiple, easy-to-use channels to get support.
