Should LA Metro create it own police department?
That question will be put to a vote at the mega transit agency’s board meeting on Thursday, June 22, when its board will decide whether to move ahead with a plan to launch an in-house Metro Police Department.
The board’s options are to listen to the pros and cons of a transit police department, but then table the matter; vote it down; or direct Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins to craft a comprehensive implementation plan that would be brought back to the board in January, 2024.
Some see the issue as a solution in search of a problem, since the county transit agency taps police from three existing agencies: Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Long Beach Police Department.
But whether Metro eventually drops its three policing sources and starts its own force, added to other layers of public safety including Transit Security Officers, Transit Ambassadors and homeless outreach teams, is a serious question up for debate. But there’s no debate over the agency’s intent to make the system safer, especially for women, families and the LGBTQ+ community who feel unsafe, according to Metro surveys.
Others view the topic as timely, since the agency has been grappling with rising rates of assaults and thefts, fatal drug overdoses and more than 600 unhoused passengers using the trains and buses each day as mobile shelters. Metro board members have pointed to these societal issues seeping into Metro transit as reasons why many Angelenos do not use Metro.
A 27-page feasibility study prepared for the upcoming meeting points to safety concerns, while spelling out a positive case for creation of an in-house police department. The report says such a change would give the agency more control over officers in terms of training, positioning on the vast system and disciplining.
“If it is Metro’s police, they would have direct accountability and have direct staff action,” said Bart Reed, executive director of The Transit Coalition, a nonprofit that supports Metro and acts as a watchdog. “It would be a better mix of police officers whose heart and soul is in the system. This would be their home turf.”
Talking about safety
From a survey contained in a 2022 Metro plan to improve riders’ experience, of 40 service items listed by participants, all but one in a “needs improvement” group were related to safety. Among other things, riders said there was not enough security, especially at night, and a need to address homelessness.
Women and nonbinary individuals said they feel less safe than men on Metro transit, according to a summer 2021 survey, the report noted. “Women feel unsafe on public transit, and it is impacting how often they ride, when they ride and if they ride at all.”
More than 60% of riders wanted to see additional armed officers. Also, the survey found that 70% of riders wanted more unarmed officers. Of Metro employees surveyed, 39% said they rarely or never feel safe.
Changing the mix
In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Metro’s newly inked law enforcement contracts call for 645 budgeted personnel: 344 patrol officers/deputies; 82 officers/deputies in special units such as K-9, homeless and community policing; 70 sergeants and 149 administrative personnel.
Of the 344 patrol officers, “an average of 263 officers are patrolling the Metro system daily,” the report stated.
An in-house Metro police department would budget for 464 personnel, as opposed to 645 budgeted for the three existing contracted agencies. The in-house department would use fewer officers because it would not deploy them in pairs, as some of the law enforcement agencies require. Also, a Metro Police Department would reduce what the report calls “unnecessary duplication of management and administrative efforts,” by budgeting for 83 people in administration, compared to 149 budgeted by the three contracted agencies.
The Metro PD would cost $135.4 million, about 22% less than the $173 million that Metro has budgeted for policing contracts in the upcoming fiscal year. The report says savings can be put into other security services, such as increasing the number of Metro Transit Ambassadors beyond the 437 already budgeted.
Not enough visibility
The report heavily criticizes the LAPD and LASD, saying these officers and deputies “provide little visible security presence on the Metro Bus System” or on trains or at stations.
Auditing of sheriff’s deputy patrols revealed that they only ride the trains on 12 of the 178 weekly shifts, the report says. The deputies mostly patrol in vehicles, as opposed to on foot, decreasing their visibility and engagement with Metro train and bus customers, the report concluded.
The LA Metro Board voted on March 23, 2023 to extend contracts for law enforcement with LAPD, Long Beach Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
LAPD officers assigned to Metro come from a random pool of officers who volunteer for shifts and receive overtime pay. Some officers may only want overtime for a month, then transfer out. This revolving door prevents officers from getting familiar with policing in a closed transit system, as compared to responding to calls from squad cars on the streets of Los Angeles, the report said.
The report favored an in-house Metro PD whose officers Metro could direct to locations, and during opportune times, who will respond according to Metro’s code of conduct.
“We would have in-house public safety officers who would really understand what transit policing is all about and aligned with our interests,” said First District LA County Supervisor and Metro Board member Hilda Solis in an interview on Wednesday, June 21.
Asiyahola Sankara, a law fellow with ACLU-SoCal, said the report’s recommendations are unnecessary and would distract Metro from adding low-tech safety solutions such as better lighting to deter crime and hiring elevator attendants to ward off inappropriate activity inside station elevators. He said the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) had tremendous success in reducing drug use and crimes after hiring elevator attendants.
“We’ve reformed the police especially here in L.A. so many times and the outcomes remain the same,” he said. “At the end of the day, police are police.”
Like other transit agencies
Six of the 10 largest transit agencies in the country have their own police departments. They include Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York City, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and BART. Many transit police departments were established more than 40 years ago, including those in Boston, Baltimore, Houston and Atlanta, Metro reported.
Developing a Metro PD that is fully staffed may take three to five years, according to the report.
Some of the challenges include hiring officers, assuming liability for officer use of force complaints and retention.
Over the last six years, LAPD has had three officer-involved shootings but no lawsuits, and the Sheriff’s Department has had two officer-involved shootings and no lawsuits. Long Beach PD had no officer involved shootings and one transit-related lawsuit, according to the report.
Creating a Metro PD “would create a cost-burden (for Metro) of rising pension, equipment and maintenance costs and none of it is necessary,” said Sankara.
Many board members have expressed positive views on the idea. Solis said she wants more study and wants Metro to consult with stakeholders, including the LAPD and Sheriff’s Department.
Reed said the benefits outweigh the challenges.
“There would be a better mix of police officers whose heart and soul is in the system,” said Reed. “Plus there are financial incentives and a lot of training incentives. I think it would be an improvement.”