Police will patrol L.A. Metro vehicles amid surge in violence
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Amid a soaring number of violent incidents, Metro officials voted to authorize a surge of law enforcement and public safety officers to patrol transit vehicles.
The motion, which was introduced by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, was passed unanimously at a Thursday Metro board meeting where some community members expressed anger and frustration over the issue.
Recent attacks on Metro riders and operators, some fatal, have included shootings, stabbings, assaults, robberies, hijacks and more.
In the first three months of 2024, Metro has seen a 65% increase in total crime. Frustrations over the ongoing violence prompted Metro board members to address the issue at a May 16 press conference.
The Metro’s Board of Directors, which is comprised of local elected officials including Bass and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, was critical of the presence — or lack thereof — of law enforcement personnel contracted to provide safety resources to riders.
Following the meeting, Bass called for an “immediate surge” of law enforcement personnel on Metro buses, trains and stations to address the concerns of drivers and passengers.
Metro security personnel patrolling a transit station in Los Angeles County. (KTLA) Officers patrolling a Metro station in Los Angeles County. (KTLA) The scene at the downtown Los Angeles Ritz-Carlton where a man hijacked a Metro bus and crashed into the hotel. March 21, 2024. (KTLA) LAPD officers patrol Union Station on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021 in Los Angeles. (Getty Images) A Metro line train in the downtown area on March 8, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images) Two men are seen being taken into custody outside a Metro station in downtown Los Angeles on May 16, 2024. (KTLA) Video from LA Metro shows a bus driver behind a full plexiglass barrier that is larger and offers more cover than current barriers installed in 2020. (LA Metro) Video from LA Metro shows a bus driver behind a full plexiglass barrier that is larger and offers more cover than current barriers installed in 2020. (LA Metro) A Metro bus collided with a motorhome in South Los Angeles on Dec. 29, 2023. (OnScene.TV) A Metro bus is seen after being hijacked and crashing in Downtown Los Angeles on March 21, 2024. (KTLA) Deputies investigate a stabbing on a Metro station in Athens on May 13, 2024. (TNLA) A suspect was arrested after a robbery attack on a Metro bus in Encino on May 14, 2024. (TNLA) Four people were hurt when a Los Angeles Metro transit bus rolled backward into a wall. Dec. 16, 2023. A suspect was arrested after a robbery attack on a Metro bus in Encino on May 14, 2024. (TNLA) A Metro bus crosses train tracks in Los Angeles, California, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. A new downtown connector is a milestone in LA’s $120 billion rail transit expansion plan, the largest in the US. But luring riders could require deeper change. Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images L.A. police seen on a Metro train station platform in this undated photo. (RMG News) L.A. deputies on the scene of a deadly shooting aboard a Metro bus in Commerce on May 16, 2024. (KTLA) L.A. County Metro security seen outside Metro’s Pershing Square station in downtown L.A. where a stabbing occurred on Sept. 7, 2023. (KTLA) The scene outside the Vermont/Sunset Metro station where an alleged trespasser was fatally shot by a security guard on May 7, 2024. (KTLA) Armed Security guards patrolling a Metro Red Line subway station in East Hollywood on April 27, 2023. (KTLA) Passengers wait for Metro Rail subway trains during rush hour June 3, 2008 in Los Angeles. (David McNew/Getty Images) Passengers step from a train at the Universal City B (Red) Line Metro train station on December 6, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images) The Gold Line is seen in an undated photo. (Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The Metro Red Line subway station at Vermont/Santa Monica. (KTLA) Police investigate a death on a Metro bus in Koreatown on Feb. 22, 2024. (KeyNews.TV)
Beginning Thursday, the approved motion authorizes 260 officers to be physically present on buses and trains, patrolling the transit system every day.
The motion also established a “unified command” of the law enforcement agencies policing the system including Metro security, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Long Beach Police Department.
Working cell phone reception and Wi-Fi coverage will also be required at all underground Metro stations and tunnels, during transit and on platforms. Spotty coverage remained a topic of concern for Metro leaders as it makes calling for help in emergencies unfeasible.
“The only thing worse than finding yourself in an emergency situation is not being able to call for help,” said Katy Yaroslavsky, board member and L.A. city councilmember. “In 2024, there is no reason this should be an issue and yet we know there are dead zones in our system. We have a responsibility to fix this issue as quickly as possible.”
The recent attacks had prompted Metro bus drivers to stage a “sick out” while a Metro board member said she was “afraid” and would not ride the system alone.
The board recently approved the acquisition of barriers to be placed between drivers and passengers on all Metro buses.
“We have a responsibility to each and every rider and bus driver: they have to feel safe on Metro,” said Janice Hahn, Metro Vice Chair and L.A. County Supervisor. “Our law enforcement contracts are essential to safety, but they don’t do anyone any good if officers are not riding our trains and buses.”
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