Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: MONTHLY UPDATE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the Public Safety Report.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro is committed to providing outstanding trip experiences for all transportation system users. The agency implemented a multi-faceted plan to improve both safety outcomes and safety perceptions for riders and employees. The following summarizes current initiatives to accomplish this objective and recent public safety trends.
Background
BACKGROUND
Within Metro’s Public Safety Mission statement, the agency recognizes that every individual is entitled to a safe, dignified, and humane experience. In 2023, the Board adopted a revised Code of Conduct, a Bias-Free Policing Policy, and a Public Safety Analytics Policy to avert racial profiling and bias in the deployment of Metro security and contract law enforcement services. In 2024, Metro enhanced its public safety model further with a three-pronged strategy: 1) increase the engaged and visible presence of uniformed personnel, 2) improve access control to ensure the system is being used only for its intended purpose of transit, and 3) strengthen partnerships with government and nonprofit partners to address societal issues impacting our transit system, including homelessness, untreated mental illness, drug addiction, and crime. In 2025, the agency expanded several successful access control initiatives, transitioned the Ambassadors in-house, and completed Phase 1 of implementing the in-house public safety department. The actions described in this report aim to improve safety and perceptions of safety on the system.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The Metro Department of Public Safety (DPS) is responsible for overseeing safety initiatives on the Metro system, working in collaboration with other departments, including Operations and Customer Experience. DPS forms the foundation of Metro’s comprehensive approach to safety and security, focused specifically on protecting customers and employees by mitigating crime and other societal issues impacting the transit system, enforcing Metro’s Code of Conduct, ensuring the safety and hard security of Metro’s facilities, directing the deployment of law enforcement and private security presence throughout the system, and proactively identifying and addressing other areas of possible concern.
The following is a snapshot of activities, performance, and outcome-related data for December 2025, the most recent month for which systemwide law enforcement data is available.
OVERVIEW
Metro strives to continually improve and more accurately measure the impact of its public safety initiatives. As 2025 came to a close, staff reviewed the year’s activities to assess their impact on safety.
2025 Trends
In 2025, Metro expanded several public safety initiatives, including TAP-to-Exit and the weapons detection pilots, which contributed to creating a safer rider experience by targeting trespassing and narcotics and lowering incidents of violent crime.
Furthermore, below are the outcomes for December 2025, strategically focused on the CEO’s three-pronged approach.
• Continue to increase monthly ridership. In December, Metro ridership increased 5.4% from the previous month (25,022,160) but was down by 1.54% compared to December 2024 (25,414,697). Many factors influence ridership patterns, including holiday and construction-related business closures and changes in people’s daily routines. Staff track monthly ridership numbers to analyze and better understand the crime trends in relation to ridership.
• Ensure access to the system is used solely for transit. Law enforcement and security made 379 trespassing arrests in December, an increase of 34% compared to November (which was a result of the holiday surge conducted by law enforcement). Four took place in the ancillary areas, where one was initiated by Contract Security (CS) after being alerted by an ancillary alarm, and the remaining three occurred during a routine CS inspection. Notable improvements in cleanliness, as well as the reduction and removal of encampment areas, coupled with increased enforcement and accountability for those who trespass in the ancillary areas, are positive measures of the effectiveness of Metro’s access control safety improvement strategies and tactics.
• Connect homeless riders to housing. In December, Metro Homeless Outreach Management & Engagement (HOME) referred 223 people to interim housing and placed 50 people into permanent housing, thereby reducing any need for them to shelter on the Metro system and bringing the total for FY26 to 1,333 connections to housing. Meeting 63% of the FY26 goal of 2,100 connections, HOME teams continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in addressing societal issues, specifically homelessness.
• Facilitate the reduction of violent crime. Crimes Against Persons (violent crimes) systemwide increased by 13.0% compared to November (191 vs. 169), due to increases in batteries. Compared to December 2024, Crimes Against Persons increased by 29.1% (191 vs. 148) due to increases in batteries and robberies. Law enforcement reported at least three robbery crews committing crimes in December, with multiple suspects from each of the crews arrested. Although these crews were mostly involved in committing property crime (e.g., cell phone thefts), some of these incidents were classified as robberies depending on how property was taken from the victims.
• Facilitate the reduction of property crime. Crimes Against Property increased by 17.9% compared to November (79 vs. 67), due to an increase in thefts. Compared to December 2024, the increase was 33.9% due to an increase in thefts. As previously mentioned, law enforcement reported at least three robbery crews committing crimes in December. These crews were involved in cell phone thefts, chain/necklace snatching, and copper wire thefts throughout the system.
• Facilitate the reduction of narcotics, trespassing, and other crimes against society. During December, Metro saw a notable impact from LAPD’s surge deployments over the holidays, resulting in an increase in arrests for Crimes Against Society. These crimes increased by 32.2% compared to the previous month (493 vs. 373), due to increases in narcotics, trespassing, and weapons arrests. Compared to December 2024, Crimes Against Society increased by 51.7% (493 vs. 325). More details, including crimes per one million boardings, can be found in the Systemwide Crime Stats section below. Metro reviews crimes against society to measure the effectiveness of partnerships in addressing societal issues and access control.
CUSTOMER COMMENTS
Metro believes in continuously listening to, learning from, and responding to customer feedback. Using various sources, including Metro’s social media accounts, the Transit Watch app, and the Customer Call Center, staff assessed the public comments and sentiment of the Metro system. DPS monitors general sentiment and reports actionable security concerns in weekly calls with Metro’s security and maintenance teams. Any customer comments about criminal activity are immediately forwarded to law enforcement for investigation and reporting.
Overall Public Sentiment
In December, customers primarily engaged on topics related to safety and security. As in previous months, the most positive comment was about the system's visible security presence.
• December 1 - In a Reddit post titled “Cops checking cards at 7th/Metro,” there was positive discussion regarding TAP card checks by law enforcement, with one commenter pleased to see the uniformed presence, noting that two people were removed from the train for failing to show a card before officers went onto another train.
• December 14 - In a Reddit post titled “Metro safety with luggage to LAX”, a rider asked if it was safe to travel to LAX using the E and K Line. A user responded that, as someone who regularly rides the K Line, the area near LAX has a heavy security presence, and Metro Ambassadors are often present for the entire ride.
• December 16 - On X, a commenter gave a shoutout, sharing how they saw three contract security officers be compassionate with a woman by giving her two bottles of water. The woman had asked for directions to Long Beach and where to buy water, but there was no vending machine nearby, so officers offered her water instead.
• December 17 - In a Reddit post titled “Is LA Metro actually safe for tourists? First time in Los Angeles,” there were many responses assuring that Metro is safe, with one person sharing they saw LAPD and armed security guards at every station when they took the B and E Line.
Most Common Customer Concerns
To assess the most common customer concerns from the public, Metro looked at incidents submitted through the Transit Watch app. The number of reports submitted through the Transit Watch app increased in December, from 4,117 in November to 4,722.
In December, the three most reported types of incidents are property crime related to graffiti (33% of reported incidents), smoking/alcohol/drugs (28% of reported incidents), and fights or disturbances (15% of reported incidents). Below are the top three locations for each incident type:
1. Graffiti (446 vs. 487 in November) - Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station, Pico Station, and Irwindale Station, where several reports were received for graffiti inside trains and on the platforms.
2. Smoking/Alcohol/Drugs (384 vs. 376 in November) - 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Lynwood Station, and Union Station, where riders reported seeing people doing drugs at the stations and smoking inside the trains and on platforms.
3. Fights or Disturbances (207 vs. 221 in November) - 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Vermont/Santa Monica Station, and Expo/Crenshaw Station, where reports were submitted for fights inside trains and on platforms, people arguing loudly, and playing loud music on the platforms and on the trains.
Some stations, including the ones mentioned above, have seen increases in graffiti due to ongoing territorial disputes between rival gangs. Countermeasures by Metro now include AI resources to better map, identify, and link related graffiti incidents, building stronger criminal and civil cases against offenders. In addition, LAPD began a surge in its deployment across the system on November 10, 2025, to address drug use and antisocial behavior. Prioritizing resources at the stations flagged the most by customers not only improves our safety statistics - it can be one of the fastest ways to help riders feel safe when riding the system.
DPS actively works on decreasing drug use on the system. LAPD and LASD employ a variety of strategies, such as plainclothes surveillance operations, public drug use/ drug recognition surge operations to disrupt demand, and daily proactive patrols to actively disrupt narcotics distribution when it is observed or reported by an employee or rider. In December, LAPD and LASD made 100 arrests (LAPD - 94; LASD - 6) for narcotics. In comparison, LAPD and LASD made 81 arrests (LAPD - 69; LASD - 12) for narcotics in November. Metro’s public safety personnel are also equipped with Narcan and administer it as needed to individuals experiencing symptoms of an overdose (refer to Attachment A for more details).
ENGAGED & VISIBLE DEPLOYMENT
The following are Metro’s public safety personnel's deployment activities for December, intended to promote the safe access and use of the transit system, as well as prevent and reduce crime and other societal issues within the system.
Law Enforcement
LAPD and LASD enforce the penal and municipal code on the system, including conducting trespass investigations. The table below represents law enforcement’s efforts for December.
In December, the two law enforcement agencies made 817 arrests and issued 786 citations. Law enforcement citations and warnings are not related to fare evasion but are given for trespassing, loitering, and moving violations. Details on the demographics of individuals arrested are in Attachment B. Law enforcement’s separate homeless outreach teams also engage with unhoused individuals on the system and offer available services; more details can be found in Attachment C.
Transit Security
Metro Transit Security Officers support DPS priorities, including physical security, Code of Conduct education and enforcement, and fare compliance enforcement. MTS enforces fare compliance utilizing rider education, technology improvements, as well as removals, warnings, and citations. Other Metro actions, such as introducing taller faregates, implementing TAP-to-Exit, and hiring more transit security officers, as well as other tactics, support fare compliance. In December, Transit Security Officers issued 792 citations and 918 written warnings. 783 citations (99%) and 913 warnings (99%) were for fare evasion. Transit Security Fare Compliance teams removed 952 individuals from the system for fare evasion. Refer to Attachment D for more details on MTS activity and deployment this month, and a demographic breakdown of those cited.
Bus Safety Teams
MTS Bus Safety Teams (BSTs) rotate across the top ten bus lines with reported incidents of operator assaults and bus lines with newly reported incidents of operator assaults and other significant security incidents to enforce Metro’s Code of Conduct. These deployments are both preventative to keep our riders safe from crime and reassuring to make riders feel safe. The BSTs are augmented with law enforcement support. In December, there were 1,902 and 5,978 bus boardings by LAPD officers and LASD deputies, respectively.* For more details on MTS activities, refer to Attachment D.
*Law enforcement Bus Teams conduct bus boardings, when an officer momentarily boards a bus during its stop, asks the operator if everything is okay, and ensures there are no safety issues on board.
Systemwide Crime Stats - 2025 Year-In-Review
Crimes Against Persons (violent crimes, which include aggravated assaults, batteries, and robberies) experienced a decrease in the total number of incidents and per one million boardings of 6.71% and 5.01%, respectively, reaching their lowest levels since 2021. Several specialized deployments throughout the year targeted specific stations and bus lines, helping keep violent crime at a lower level than in the previous year.
Crimes Against Property, on the other hand, remained steady in 2025 at a higher rate than in 2024, driven by robbery crews targeting cell phones, chains/necklaces, and copper wire throughout the system. The total number of incidents and crimes per one million boardings increased by 4.27% and 6.16%, respectively.
As seen in the chart below, these initiatives, especially the targeted surges throughout the year, kept arrests for Crimes Against Society, mainly related to trespassing, at a higher than average rate when compared to the previous five years. Compared with 2024, Crimes Against Society saw decreases of 32.71% in the total number of incidents and 31.49% per one million boardings.
Systemwide Crime Stats Per One Million Boardings - 2024 vs. 2025
Metro coordinates with its law enforcement partners to provide a visible, engaged presence on the bus and rail systems and to enforce the Penal Code to deter criminal activity, including assaults, theft, and trespassing. The following charts compare Crimes Against Persons, Property, and Society per one million boardings in 2024 and 2025.
Crimes Against Persons (violent crimes, which include aggravated assaults, batteries, and robberies) decreased in 2025 compared to 2024, both in total number of incidents and per one million boardings. During the year, Crimes Against Persons per one million boardings decreased by 5.01% compared to 2024 (6.28 vs. 6.61).
Crimes Against Property remained steady throughout the year with a few spikes, especially towards the end of the year during the holiday season. Many thefts during the year were the result of robbery crews targeting cell phones, chains/necklaces, and copper wire throughout the system.
Crimes Against Society per one million boardings were lower in 2025 compared to 2024. Despite this decrease, Crimes Against Society were higher in 2025 than in previous years, which is a direct result of several specialized deployments that targeted areas of high narcotic use and trespassings throughout the year. Enforcement initiatives, such as TAP-to-Exit and the installation of taller fare gates at some locations, also contributed to this decrease.
Refer to Attachment E for more details on crime data normalized by ridership.
How Metro Compares with Countywide Crime & Other Major Transit Agencies
To benchmark with other transit agencies in similarly sized cities, figures for Crimes Against Persons were collected for the Los Angeles Metro, the Chicago CTA (Chicago Transit Authority), the Philadelphia SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), and the New York Metro Transit Authority (NY MTA) (excluding commuter railroads, bridges, and tunnels). To ensure the accuracy of this comparison, only the following Crimes Against Persons categories were included, as they were found to be the most common across agency reports: Homicide, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Rape. For all agencies, crime incidents were normalized by ridership, allowing for a systematic and uniform comparison. Longitudinal analysis indicates that Metro came out of the pandemic with some of the highest crime rates among peer agencies. While these Part 1 Crimes were initially reported more frequently across LA Metro, since the beginning of 2024, there has been a notable shift, with this discrepancy narrowing over time. For the portion of the 2025 calendar year for which data is available (Jan - Sept), LA Metro is now reporting these crimes at lower rates than Chicago CTA. The Philadelphia-region SEPTA agency has made the largest percentage-wise improvements over the same period.
*Philadelphia SEPTA did not report crime data for April 2025.
The following is a year-over-year comparison of a group of Part 1 Crimes (Homicide, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Rape) between LA Metro and Los Angeles County as a whole (as reported by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department). These group years include data from January through December 2025. While both LASD and LA Metro reported declines in these incidents over a three-year period, reductions were far more significant for LA Metro. Comparing the number of these incidents between 2023 and 2025, Metro experienced a 15% reduction compared to a 5.7% reduction for Los Angeles County as a whole. This is illustrated in the graph below.
Mitigating Assaults Against Frontline Employees
As the chart below shows, assaults on Metro employees and contractors decreased in December. Lower levels of assaults on bus operators are likely the result of the retrofit safety barriers on all buses. The graph below compares assaults on Metro employees and contractors on a monthly basis in 2025 to 2024, showing the decrease in 2025. Staff will continue to track these assaults to identify additional measures to protect employees and contractors.
Bus Operators
Metro’s law enforcement partners reported one operator assault in December, a notable decrease from November (1 vs. 14) and a decrease from December 2024 (1 vs. 5). Using a projectile (pepper spray) was the method of assault on the operator, which occurred inside the vehicle while a barrier was in use.
The assault resulted when a suspect boarded the bus and purposely activated a can of pepper spray as he walked down the aisle. The operator and other passengers immediately felt the effects of the pepper spray. The suspect exited the bus when he was confronted by a passenger. The suspect fled on a bus traveling in the opposite direction. The victim was not injured and declined medical treatment. This investigation remains open.
Bus Operator Assaults - 2024 vs 2025
When analyzing total operator assaults in 2025 and 2024 relative to ridership, the results show that assaults on operators per one million boardings decreased by 50.5% in 2025 compared to 2024. This decrease can be attributed to the installation of new retrofitted bus barriers and to the Bus Riding Teams’ data-centric deployment model.
Comparing assaults on non-retrofit buses in 2024 with assaults on retrofit buses in 2025 shows not only a decline in the number of assaults but also an improvement in operators’ health. When assaults occurred, health outcomes for bus operators markedly improved as a result of the new safety measures.
In 2025, serious assaults (those involving physical altercations and excluding the brandishing of weapons or verbal threats) made up 86% of all assaults, little changed from the 84% of serious assaults on non-retrofit buses in 2024. However, assaults requiring medical transport dropped more in the year-over-year analysis compared to assaults where no medical transport occurred. While the number of assaults that did not require medical transport decreased by 48% in 2025 compared to 2024 (124 vs 64), the number of assaults that required medical transport decreased by 67%, with only eight medical transports reported in all of 2025 (compared to 24 in 2024).
Other Frontline Staff
Assaults on frontline staff (excluding operators) increased from six in November to 17 in December. The methods of assault on these frontline staff vary from suspects using their hands to shoving or punching staff, throwing an object, spitting on an employee, throwing liquid, and using verbal threats.
All frontline staff undergo de-escalation training to better manage uncooperative or aggressive individuals. More details on assault methods and reasons can be found in Attachment F.
ACCESS CONTROL & STATION EXPERIENCE
Metro continues to focus on improving the transit experience for riders while removing individuals who commit crimes or are found to be trespassing. Metro’s proactive strategy, which includes fixed security posts of uniformed personnel, roving patrols, frequent station cleanings, physical security, and environmental improvements, has led to significant improvements in access control and safety, as well as noticeable positive changes in cleanliness across the Metro system's ancillary areas.
Station Experience Updates
Metro is committed to safety and partners with city officials and community groups, including local councils and businesses, to address challenges at various stations. Attachment G describes recent initiatives by the Station Experience team, including:
• To address safety concerns at Expo/La Brea Station, staff relocated plaza seating from the hidden areas that had attracted inappropriate activity and added refreshed seating directly where riders wait for connecting buses.
• To improve natural surveillance and expand voter access, Metro successfully collaborated with the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office in placing nine Vote-by-Mail Drop Boxes across the system. Over 7,000 ballots were collected in November 2025, a 26% increase from 2024.
• To improve safety and cleanliness concerns around Arcadia Station, staff worked with the City of Arcadia to coordinate interventions to help inspire appropriate behavior, including open elevators and lighting beacons.
• To gauge if safety and cleanliness improved at the three J Line Stations along the I-110 Harbor Transitway, staff surveyed 100 bus riders and the custodial team, revealing a 90% reduction in loitering.
Looking ahead, staff continue to identify hotspot stations with similar challenges to expand these best-practice interventions. This includes the following:
• There were reports of security concerns in and around Patsaouras Bus Plaza at Union Station East, so staff conducted multiple walkthroughs with DPS, Building Services, and ITS to discuss potential improvements to the area's safety and cleanliness. A security deployment was added to conduct a regular foot patrol of the affected area.
• Fillmore and Lake stations have historically received community concerns as two hotspots stemming from societal challenges. Metro staff from Station Experience, DPS, and Civil Rights conducted site visits at both stations to discuss and coordinate potential interventions.
Impact of Taller Faregates
In 2025, Metro installed taller faregates at several rail stations to deter fare evasion and trespassing. An analysis of crime data before and after the installation of taller faregates showed decreases in violent and property crime at some stations. The A Line stations with taller faregates saw a 32% decrease in violent crime and 7% in property crime. In comparison, the A Line saw an increase of 10% in violent crime during this same period. The B Line stations with taller faregates saw a 4.5% decrease in violent crime, while property crime increased 9.5%, which may be attributed to robbery crews targeting riders on the B Line during the year. In comparison, the B Line saw a 4% decrease in violent crime during this same period, performing slightly worse than the stations with taller faregates. As staff receive more crime data at these stations with taller faregates, they will continue to analyze the data to assess the effectiveness of taller faregates on deterring crime.
CARE-BASED SERVICES
In January, the DPS launched the Care-Based Services Division, bringing together all of Metro’s care-based public safety programs, including the Metro Ambassadors, Homeless Outreach and Engagement (HOME), and Community Intervention Specialists. This new division works closely with the department’s other divisions and reflects the agency’s commitment to a modern public safety approach - one that is holistic, integrated, and visible to ensure employees and riders feel safe on the system.
Metro Ambassadors
Metro Ambassadors support riders by providing assistance, connecting them to resources, and reporting safety incidents or maintenance needs. Their presence helps enhance the perception and feeling of customer safety and the overall customer experience. When appropriate, Ambassadors also assist in Code of Conduct education. In December 2025, Ambassadors continued their presence across all rail lines as well as the G Line and the J Line. See Attachment H for additional details on Ambassador deployments this month.
In December 2025, Ambassadors conducted 50,163 customer engagements and reported:
• 3,618 cleanliness issues (13% decrease from November 2025)
• 3,097 graffiti incidents (27% increase from November 2025)
• 768 elevator and escalator problems (5% decrease from November 2025)
During this reporting period, Ambassadors noted an uptick in incidents at A Line stations. Graffiti reports are shared with the Community Intervention Specialist (CIS) teams so they can address vandalism and de-escalate situations on the Metro system. Additionally, all reports are immediately forwarded to Metro stakeholders via the Transit Watch App to ensure graffiti is removed as quickly as possible.
Helping Riders Experiencing Homelessness
By connecting people to housing resources, Metro’s multidisciplinary outreach teams are helping improve the safety of unhoused riders sheltering on our system. In December, MDTs enrolled 533 people into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), referred 223 people to interim housing, and placed 50 people into permanent housing. For FY26, 3,621 people have been enrolled into HMIS, and 1,333 have been connected to interim or permanent housing thus far; see the table below for a breakdown of the placements for this fiscal year.
HOME team outcomes vary from month to month based on a series of factors that impact how outreach teams perform across the system. Observational data shows the greatest activity occurring along the A and B lines, reflecting higher rates of housing placements along those segments. Changes in transitional housing connections are often a reflection of seasonal weather, which necessitates additional transitional housing resources being made available, thus providing agencies with increased options during the winter. Additionally, connecting people to permanent housing options (excluding family reunifications) historically requires several months to complete. As such, the permanent placement outcomes fluctuate according to the number of people successfully navigating that process.
Responding to Mental Health & Emotional Distress
In addition to having MDTs on the system, DPS’s law enforcement partners also have their respective outreach units deployed to respond to and assist individuals experiencing mental health crises. LAPD’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement (HOPE) teams and LASD’s Mental Evaluation Team (MET) both involve officers working alongside a licensed mental health clinician. In December, LAPD’s HOPE team engaged 97 individuals, referring 10 of them to services. LASD’s MET had 293 engagements and referred three to social services. Metro also collaborates with the LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH), as Metro staff have been trained to identify individuals appropriate for referrals, and select DMH staff can access the system when mental health crises occur. See the following table for details from LAPD and LASD:
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The Metro transit system spans many diverse communities across Los Angeles County. The diversity of Metro’s service area includes economically and ethnically diverse areas, as well as diversity in regard to public safety needs. Metro continues to take a cross-disciplinary approach to sustain and grow ridership, improve customer experience, and, most importantly, ensure the safety of Metro’s system is equitable across Los Angeles County. The newly established Care-Based Services Division demonstrates the agency’s holistic approach to improving public safety by bringing together all of Metro’s care-centered programs. Understanding that people define safety and view uniformed personnel differently, this division can connect individuals experiencing crises to the services they need the most, diverting them from the criminal justice system. Furthermore, they can work more closely with the other divisions in the DPS, ensuring law enforcement resources aren’t dispatched to scenarios where they aren’t truly needed. Community intervention specialists have personal ties within the community, which allows them to build trust with individuals. Homeless outreach teams can protect vulnerable riders from criminalization by intervening at critical moments in their lives, finding them a place to stay, and helping them access the support and services they need.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through operational activities that will improve public safety and customer experience on Metro’s bus and rail system and further encourage transit ridership. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports Strategic Plan Goals #2.1: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system; Metro is committed to improving security and #5.6: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization; Metro will foster and maintain a strong safety culture.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
DPS will continue to monitor the performance of its law enforcement partners, private security, and Transit Security Officers, as well as the agency’s crime statistics. It also considers information from system operations, surveys, customer complaints, and physical security assessments, amongst other sources, to analyze safety-related issues, adjust deployment strategies, and formulate new interventions.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Narcan Data December 2025
Attachment B - Arrests by Race & Ethnicity December 2025
Attachment C - Law Enforcement Homeless Outreach December 2025
Attachment D - Metro Transit Security & Contract Security Activities December 2025
Attachment E - Law Enforcement Crime Summary December 2025
Attachment F - Frontline Safety Additional Data December 2025
Attachment G - Station Experience Updates
Attachment H - Metro Ambassador Activities December 2025
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Robert Gummer, Deputy Chief, System Security and Law Enforcement
Officer, (213) 922-4513
Craig Joyce, Senior Executive Officer, Special Programs (213) 418-3008
Stephen Tu, Deputy Executive Officer, Operations, (213) 418-3005
Karen Parks, Senior Director, Special Projects, (213) 922-4612
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: William Scott, Chief of Police and Emergency Management, (213) 922-
5448
Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3034
