Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
MAY 16, 2024
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. In furtherance of the Vision 2028 Plan, Metro implemented a multi-faceted plan to improve safety 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 each individual is entitled to a safe, dignified, and human experience. In March 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 law enforcement services. Furthermore, since July 2023, Metro has been using a multi-layered deployment model to utilize all resources from the public safety ecosystem.
These actions align with numerous initiatives to improve safety and the perception of safety on the system, including the increased, strategic, and layered deployment of personnel (comprised of customer-centered ambassadors and community intervention specialists, as well as transit security, private security, and law enforcement officers) and the piloting of safety and security interventions to address specific concerns (e.g., drug use and crime) on the system.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
System Security & Law Enforcement (SSLE) is responsible for overseeing safety initiatives on the Metro system, working in coordination with other departments, including Operations and Customer Experience. SSLE forms the foundation of Metro’s multi-layered approach to safety and security, focused specifically on protecting our customers and employees by preventing and addressing crime on our system, enforcing Metro’s Code of Conduct, ensuring the safety of our facilities, directing the deployment of law enforcement and private security presence throughout the system, and proactively identifying and addressing areas of possible concern.
The following is a snapshot of activities and performance and outcome-related data for March, the most recent month for which systemwide law enforcement data is available.
DEPLOYMENTS AND TRENDS
Metro continues to incorporate enhancements and find proactive ways for its safety and security model to address evolving societal issues that intersect with the system. The agency’s multi-layered approach with high visibility presence continues to strategically address challenges, as reflected in the recent systemwide declines in:
• Crimes Against Persons (including two consecutive months of bus system declines)
• Crimes Against Property (with three consecutive months both systemwide and on the rail system)
Ridership in March 2024 was 25,880,698, up 9.4% from March 2023 (23,655,987), marking our 16th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. When observing Crimes Against Persons per 1 million boardings, a decline has continued this month in the annual comparison of March 2024 to March 2023. SSLE’s weekly coordination with its law enforcement partners, security partners, and other multi-layered resources prescribes strategic collaboration related to safety and security on the system. The multi-layered safety partners conduct weekly report-outs and utilize data from various internal and external sources (i.e., Call Center, Transit Watch app, crime reports, etc.) to ensure strategies are maintained, adjusted, or newly incorporated to mitigate crime spikes on the system.
Systemwide Crime Stats
The following represents crime statistics and data analysis for March 2024.
The overall system rate of Crimes Against Persons declined by 18.7% in March 2024 compared to February 2024 (135 vs. 166). By mode, Crimes Against Persons on the rail system decreased by 8.5%, specifically due to decreases in aggravated assaults (17 vs. 28) and sex offenses (3 vs. 6). Crimes Against Persons on the bus system decreased by 31.9% from February 2024 due to decreases in aggravated assaults (11 vs. 15), batteries (27 vs. 41), and sex offenses (3 vs. 6).
Crimes Against Property systemwide decreased by 8.9% when comparing March 2024 to February 2024. On the rail system, crime decreased by 3.1%, attributed mainly to a 12.0% decrease in larcenies in March 2024 compared to the previous month (22 vs. 25). Crimes Against Property on the bus system saw a decrease in March 2024 from February 2024 of 16.7% (20 vs. 24).
As a result of Operation Maintaining Order, there was an increase in enforcement-related arrests for trespassing, narcotics, and weapons, which resulted in a systemwide increase of 33.2% (365 vs. 274) in Crimes Against Society. By mode, the rail system experienced increases in trespassing of 23.6% (257 vs. 208) and narcotics arrests of 78.7% (84 vs. 47). On the bus system, there was an increase of 75.0% (14 vs. 8) compared to February 2024.
The following chart demonstrates the crime trend over the past six months:
The following three tables compare crime data for Crimes Against Persons, Property, and Society per one million boardings for March 2024, February 2024, and March 2023:
Crimes Against Persons (which includes violent crimes) per 1 million boardings decreased by 27.6% when compared to February 2024 and decreased by 40.1% when compared to March 2023:
Crimes Against Property per 1 million boardings saw a decrease of 19.0% compared to February 2024 and decreased by 26.0% compared to March 2023:
Crimes Against Society per 1 million boardings increased by 18.5% compared to February 2024 and increased by 162.7% compared to March 2023:
Deployment Results
The following reflects the results of the deployment for March and the effects of preventing and reducing crime on the system.
Law Enforcement
LAPD, LASD, and LBPD enforce the penal code on the system, including conducting trespass investigations. The table below represents the law enforcement efforts to enforce the penal code on the system for March.
Law enforcement homeless outreach data has been omitted from this report as staff works to align how homeless outreach data is defined and reported. Currently, each law enforcement partner defines their outreach efforts differently, making it challenging to demonstrate the impact of their work across the system. Staff will coordinate with the Homeless Outreach team to define particular data sets and provide law enforcement partners with a standardized template to provide their data. This allows for a streamlined approach to understanding the outreach efforts systemwide and reporting information and trends. Once the data has been aligned, staff will resume reporting in July 2024.
End of Line
Contract security (CS) officers offload trains at the end-of-line (EOL) stations. This operation functions to deter patrons from riding our system without valid fare while promoting a clean and safe environment. Offloading operations also simultaneously provide security support for Metro employees performing their duties. For the month of March, CS cleared 13,367 trains. The number of “Trains Cleared” decreased because the protocol for offloading the train was modified. In February, CS offloaded patrons from the train to the platform, whereas in March, CS offloaded patrons from the train to past the turnstiles. This new process lengthens the time required to offload a patron, reducing the number of train cars that are cleared monthly.
CS shares their observations during weekly multi-layered planned deployment meetings with Metro Homeless Outreach and law enforcement partners. CS observations are compared with feedback from Metro Blue Shirts and Transit Ambassadors to understand where unhoused riders require the most resources. In March, Metro Homeless Outreach efforts continue to target the following stations: Westlake/MacArthur Park, Willowbrook/Rosa Parks, Vermont/Santa Monica, and Lake. The table below reflects these efforts.
Metro Homeless Outreach has fixed posts at key EOL stations within the multi-layered planned deployment. Staff currently support six EOL stations (Union Station, Downtown Santa Monica, Downtown Long Beach, Atlantic, North Hollywood, and APU/Citrus). The efforts at EOL account for 1,545 (62%) of 2,488 total engagements during the month of March. The table below reflects the outreach efforts at EOL stations.
Transit Security
The primary role of Metro Transit Security (MTS) in the Multi-Layered Planned Deployment is Code of Conduct enforcement. In March, MTS officers issued 412 citations and 120 written warnings for Code of Conduct violations. Of those, 508 (95%) were due to individuals failing to provide proof of fare. A breakdown of the remaining citations is shown in the table below. The numbers reflect MTS's continued efforts to deter those attempting to access the system for non-transit purposes in violation of the Code of Conduct. The significant increase in citations and written warnings from the month prior is attributed to Operation Maintaining Order.
In March, Metro Transit Security, with support from the LAPD Transit Services Division, conducted Operation Maintaining Order as an added layer to the current Multilayered Planned Deployment. This operation aimed to address and mitigate graffiti and broken glass vandalism, as reported on the Transit Watch app, as well as mid-line fare and Code of Conduct issues on the A Line to reduce the number of non-destination travelers.
Rail stations in Operation Maintaining Order were selected based on two data points provided by Metro Facilities Contracted Maintenance and LAPD Transit Services Division. Data received from Facilities Contracted Maintenance was related to graffiti, broken glass, and glass replacement for a 12-month period ending on January 31, 2024. LAPD Transit Services Division provided Part 1 crime data from October 2023 to January 2024. Based on the data received, the following stations were selected as focus stations for Operation Maintaining Order:
• Union Station (A Line)
• Union Station (B/D Line)
• North Hollywood Station (B Line)
• Wilshire/Vermont Station (B/D Line)
Transit Security Officers conducted 100% enforcement of fare evasion and Code of Conduct violations at these focus stations from March 4 to March 14, 2024. The operation resulted in a total of 249 citations, 55 written warnings, and 118 train removals for fare evasion.
Staff will continue to review crime statistics and other internal data to identify potential trends and patterns that will inform deployment strategies to reduce crime on the transit system.
Operator Safety
In March, operator assaults decreased by two assaults when compared to February 2024 (10 vs. 12). Spitting and using hands (punch, slap) were the top two methods of assault, followed by using a BB gun, throwing a bottle, and using pepper spray, each having one incident. Of the 10 assaults, seven reported a bus barrier in use, one occurred outside the bus, and the remaining two did not provide details of bus barrier use. Of the reported assaults, three victims required medical transport, and one victim was transported to see the company doctor. Two assaults occurred on Line 207 on Western Avenue, while the remaining eight occurred on various bus lines. This follows the usual monthly pattern where operator assaults tend to be scattered throughout various bus lines. Five of the assaults occurred between 12 noon and 5:59 p.m., four assaults occurred between 6:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m., and one assault occurred between 6:00 a.m. and 11:59 a.m.
Though assaults in March were lower than historical averages over the past six years, the recent severity or anomaly (i.e., hijacking) incidents on our buses created a need for a collaborative increased presence of security and law enforcement resources on our high-crime volume bus lines. This includes strategy sessions on future plans to increase bus riding teams and the goal of enhanced visibility systemwide on our buses. Figure A shows the trend in operator assaults for the past six months.
Figure A: Bus/Rail Operator Assaults
Figure B: Bus/Rail Operator Assaults Year-to-Year Comparison
Figure C: Methods of Assault
Bus Riding Teams
Transit Security Bus Riding Teams rotate across the top 10 bus lines with reported incidents of operator assaults and lines with newly reported incidents of operator assaults and other significant security incidents to enforce Metro’s Code of Conduct. In March, an end-of-line operation was conducted during Owl Service at the Chatsworth Station, part of the G Line, to address bus operator concerns of non-destination travelers refusing to alight buses at the end-of-line. This BRT operation resulted in 112 removals for non-compliance between March 18 and March 29. Staff received positive feedback from bus operators and Division 8 management on this operation. As such, a similar operation will take place in April at the eastern terminus of the G Line at North Hollywood Station.
Two remaining Transit Security Bus Riding Teams are tentatively scheduled to be deployed by Summer 2024. The MTS teams are augmented with law enforcement support. Law enforcement Bus Teams conduct bus boardings, which is 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. In March, there were 13,017 and 9,134 bus boardings by LAPD officers and LASD deputies, respectively.
In addition to Code of Conduct enforcement, TSOs provide riders with safety tips, such as being aware of their surroundings while using their mobile phones and informing them of the Transit Watch application to report incidents. Several TSOs are bilingual and can assist patrons in Spanish, Korean, and Thai, among other languages. TSOs also engage with bus operators to obtain information regarding safety issues or areas of concern that the Bus Riding Teams can address. Additionally, when possible, TSOs provide operators with verbal tips related to safety and de-escalation tactics to ensure they can respond appropriately to incidents that may threaten their safety.
Staff will continue to review crime statistics and physical assault data to identify potential trends and patterns that will inform deployment strategies to reduce crime on the bus system and help decrease and prevent bus operator assaults. In addition, staff engages with bus operators from all ten bus divisions at monthly RAP sessions to obtain feedback on lines and geographical areas where bus operators have safety concerns.
ACTIVITIES
Narcan Deployment
MTS, LASD, and Metro Ambassadors are equipped with Narcan and administer it as needed to individuals experiencing symptoms of an overdose. LAPD and LBPD are not required to carry Narcan, per their agency’s policies. In March, MTS did not have any incidents while Metro Ambassadors saved 11 lives through the timely administration of Narcan. LASD reported two Narcan incidents on March 18 and 24.
In total, 13 Narcan incidents were reported in March, a 46% decrease from the 24 reported incidents in February. With a noticeable decline on the Red (B) Line, which can be attributed to the 24/7 coverage of contract security and their efforts to keep the ancillary areas clear in addition to actively addressing issues such as trespassing on the tracks/right of way and assisting in the offloading of non-destination travelers at the end of lines. Also, through the use of upgraded intrusion detection at certain station ancillary areas, it provides for proactive alerting, allowing streamlined communication between the Rail Operations Center and the Security Operations Center and a direct dispatch of contract security officers to trespassing in ancillary areas that are known for being briefly occupied for drug use.
Public Facing Dashboard Update
In mid-April, SSLE and ITS provided a 70% completed draft of the Public Facing Dashboard to the Office of the CEO for preview. Based on the positive feedback received, staff is now developing a welcome/landing page that will provide public awareness of Metro’s public safety mission, ‘spotlights’ of what is happening on the system, define public safety initiatives, and descriptions of our multilayer resources and how they can help riders. Currently under our review are the detailed dashboard pages, the mock welcome/landing page, programming for integration of charts and graphs, and the loading of SSLE’s data. This viewing and knowledge experience for the public will align with Metro’s branding and best practices as we continue to receive input from our Marketing and Customer Experience partners.
CUSTOMER COMMENTS
In March, there was a 7.1% decrease in engagements related to Safety and Security on social media accounts compared to February. However, it saw the second-highest volume of engagement over the last seven months on this topic. A high proportion of these comments mention graffiti in stations. In addition, comments from prior months mention the need for increased security to assist with passenger conduct, including the use of drugs on the system, continuing a trend from October to the present. SSLE will continue to ensure visible security presence through multi-layer security resources.
The Safety Personnel subtopic continues to generate the highest volume of engagement overall, with Safety and Security having average positive and negative comments. Examples on Reddit and Facebook included positive discussions around Ambassadors positively impacting users’ perception of safety in Metro. Of safety and security engagement mentioning specific Metro stations, the majority of comments continue to mention Union Station. Users also expressed security concerns at Harbor Freeway Station and Crenshaw Station, mentioning elevator functionality, station lighting, and graffiti. SSLE will communicate with our multi-layer resources for visibility at these locations for visibility and target graffiti offenders, as well as follow up with Facilities Maintenance and Station Experience on strategies to improve lighting.
Call Center Comments
From February to March, customer comments related to Passenger Conduct decreased by 10.9% from 55 to 49. Examples of some of the most common comments received are riders complaining about individuals smoking on the train, drinking alcoholic beverages, and playing loud music.
Customer comments related to Rail General Security Concern and General Security Concern increased by 31.3% (16 to 21) and 22.2% (9 to 11), respectively. Examples of these types of incidents range from harassment to assault. SSLE will continue highlighting top themes from comments submitted to the Call Center and collaborate with its public safety partners to address them as part of the Multi-Layered Planned Deployment.
Staff reviews all safety and security-related customer comments for trends and patterns to inform possible shifts of uniformed personnel deployments to where ongoing Code of Conduct and crime issues are identified. Moreover, any customer comment referencing criminal activity is forwarded to law enforcement for a follow-up with the customer to investigate the incident and file a crime report.
Transit Watch (TW) App
Transit Watch App reports related to safety and criminal elements for March totaled 3,300, an increase of 8.5% compared to February. The Security Operations Center’s Security Control Specialists’ (SCS) response time for receiving the report to initial contact with the reporting party decreased by 10.8% from February to March (0.58 minutes). By comparison, in FY23, the average response time was 4.9 minutes, exceeding the fiscal year’s target of 4 minutes. For FY24, SSLE established a target response time of 2 minutes to ensure a faster process for determining the proper response and dispatch of resources, improving calls for service response times on the system. The reported number for March exceeds the target goal and demonstrates Metro’s commitment to providing excellent customer service and timely security resources to keep patrons and employees safe.
Types of Reported Incidents
Of the incident types reported through the Transit Watch application, property crimes- graffiti, harassment, and fights or disturbances increased in reporting from February to March.
Graffiti incidents reported in March were 2,157 vs. 1,872 in February (a 15.2% increase). Of the 2,157 graffiti incidents captured, Ambassadors reported 66.8% (1,441) of these occurrences, a 7.9% increase compared to 1,336 reported in February. The number of harassment reports submitted in March was 59 vs. 34 in February (a 73.5% increase), while fight or disturbance reports submitted in March were 387 vs. 352 in February (a 9.9% increase).
Transit Watch reports highlighted increased property crime and cleanliness issues along the A, B, C, and E lines. These observations resulted in increased patrols at stations with the highest observations.
SSLE also utilized the weekly meetings between members of the Multilayered Planned Deployment to discuss observed increases in security incidents, which included theft. SSLE will continue to explore best practices such as messaging/awareness campaigns, education, and video analytics to address graffiti, theft, and harassment systemwide. Additionally, SSLE will look to identify locations (stations, trains, and buses) and the time of day of harassment reports to determine if any patterns exist and work with multi-layer resources to develop a strategy for visibility to prevent and minimize these types of incidents.
Stations with the Most Reported Incidents
For graffiti incidents, the top three locations in March were Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station (80), Little Tokyo/Arts District Station (54), and North Hollywood Station (50). The top three locations reporting harassment incidents were Historic Broadway Station (6), Vermont/Sunset Station (3), and Vermont/Santa Monica Station (3). The top three locations reporting fight or disturbance incidents were 7th Street/Metro Center Station (12), Union Station (11), and Wilshire/Vermont Station (10).
METRO AMBASSADOR PROGRAM UPDATE
A Metro Ambassador’s role is to improve the perception of safety by providing support to riders, connecting riders to resources, and reporting safety incidents or maintenance needs. Metro Ambassadors were deployed on all rail lines, G Line, J Line, and bus lines 210, 40, and 720.
By the numbers
For the month of March 2024, Metro Ambassadors conducted 74,110 customer engagements and reported the following:
• 2,155 Cleanliness Issues (25% decrease from last month)
• 1,433 Graffiti Incidents (7% increase from last month)
• 354 Elevator and Escalator Problems (17% decrease from last month)
• 291 Safety Issues (17% increase from last month)
Equity Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro continues to take a cross-disciplinary approach to improve ridership, customer experience, and, most importantly, the safety of Metro’s system. Using a multilayered public safety model, SSLE collaborates with law enforcement partners, contract security, multi-disciplinary outreach teams, and Metro Ambassadors to support vulnerable and unhoused riders, respond to customer concerns, and improve cleanliness and security on the system. For example, for riders that don’t have fare, the Blue Shirts team is strategically deployed to locations where Transit Security Officers are conducting fare compliance so they can educate riders about Metro’s fare programs. Operator safety remains a top priority, and bus operator concerns are taken seriously, as seen with the recent operation of Bus Riding Teams at Chatsworth Station in response to concerns about non-destination travelers not alighting during Owl Service. Moreover, the joint efforts of Metro Transit Security and LAPD in Operation Maintaining Order on the A Line demonstrate the agency’s commitment to targeting safety issues such as graffiti and improving overall public perception of safety. Many Equity Focus Communities are by the A Line, such as Duarte, Huntington Park, and Compton, and these community members can subsequently benefit from the improved riding experience when they take the A Line. Through these safety operations and the multi-layered deployment, Metro supports employees in performing their duties safely and provides riders with a safe trip experience.
Next Steps
NEXT STEPS
SSLE continues to monitor our law enforcement partners, private security, and Transit Security Officer performance, monitor crime stats, and consider information from 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 - Arrests by Race & Ethnicity March 2024
Attachment B - Total Crime Summary March 2024
Attachment C - Systemwide Law Enforcement Overview March 2024
Attachment D - MTA Supporting Data March 2024
Attachment E - Bus & Rail Operator Assaults March 2024
Attachment F - Sexual Harassment Crimes March 2024
Prepared by
Prepared by: Robert Gummer, Interim Deputy Chief, System Security & Law
Enforcement Officer, (213) 922-4513
Vanessa Smith, Executive Officer, Customer Experience, (213) 922-7009
Imelda Hernandez, Senior Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 922-4848
Reviewed By
Reviewed by: Kenneth Hernandez, Interim Chief Safety Officer, Chief Safety Office, (213) 922-2990
Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Customer Experience Office, (213) 940-4060
