Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 19, 2023
Subject
SUBJECT: MONTHLY UPDATE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the monthly Public Safety Report.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro is committed to providing outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system. In furtherance of the Vision 2028 Plan, Metro is implementing a multi-faceted plan to improve safety and the perceptions of safety for both riders and employees. The following summarizes current initiatives aimed at accomplishing this objective and recent public safety trends.
Background
BACKGROUND
At its February 2022 meeting, the Board received and filed a Reimagining Public Safety Framework (Framework) which outlines a human-centered approach to public safety guided by the principle that everyone is entitled to a safe, dignified, and human experience. This Framework reflects Metro’s Public Safety Mission and Values statements which were adopted by the Board in December 2021. In March 2023, the Board adopted a revised Code of Conduct, a Bias-Free Policing Policy, and a Public
Safety Analytics Policy.
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 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 and works in coordination with other departments, including Operations and Customer Experience, to implement strategies to advance this objective. The following is a snapshot of activities, as well as performance and outcome-related data for the month of August which is the most recent month for which systemwide law enforcement data is available.
OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
LA Union Station Transportation Training Exercise
On August 23, 2023, Union Station, in partnership with Metro and TSA’s Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP), hosted its first-ever Transportation Training Exercise (TTX). The TTX was four hours long and focused on operational and security procedures that guide information sharing, physical security protective measures, standard operating procedures, and operational coordination among industry employees, industry partners, and security stakeholders in the event of a complex coordinated terrorist attack at LA Union Station. The exercise covered the responses of all parties after receiving threat information, protocols for dealing with unattended bags, and the communication and response in the event of a complex active shooter incident.
Los Angeles Police Department’s Bola Wrap
In August, the LAPD announced the extension of the piloting period for a non-lethal device called the Bola Wrap, which is a handheld device that discharges a rope with hooks on the end that will attach to clothes and cause the cable to wrap around the legs or torso so a suspect can't run away. With the extension of the pilot period, LAPD also announced their intent to deploy this tool for LAPD Transit Services Division officers assigned to the Metro system without advanced notice nor concurrence from Metro. Earlier this month, LAPD informed Metro that they have removed the Transit Services Division from the Bola Wrap pilot expansion. However, the pilot program is still active within LAPD’s Central and Hollywood Division so officers assigned to those divisions would be carrying Bola Wrap devices. There may be occasions when those officers respond to emergency calls or assistance requests on Metro. LAPD advised that in such instances, those officers may deploy the Bola Wrap within the Metro system without advance notice to Metro.
Public Facing Dashboard Update
In response to the Board adoption of the Bias-Free Policing Policy in March 2023, a public-facing dashboard is in the final development stages. This dashboard, developed by SSLE in collaboration with ITS and law enforcement partners, will feature data on crimes, arrests, citations, and calls for service. Data will be categorized by year, month, rail line, systemwide bus, and Union Station
Initially, the dashboard will primarily present law enforcement data, as this information has been consistently reported to the Board. Soon after, the dashboard will expand to include other public safety data, such as Metro Transit Security citations, warnings, demographics, and Transit Watch app reports.
The goal is to launch this at the end of this month.
ANCILLARY AREAS MOTION 30 RESPONSE
At its September 2023 meeting, the Board approved Motion #30 by Directors Bass, Horvath, Krekorian, Najarian, Solis, and Hahn for a report back in October on an update on the status of the ancillary areas and their cleaning status.
• All ancillary areas along the B & D lines have been cleaned. Each ancillary area is deep cleaned every 14 days, with additional spot cleaning more frequently on an as-needed basis as identified during the daily security patrols. To date, Custodial Services has completed three full cleaning cycles, the fourth cycle started on October 2, 2023.
• Contract security now patrols every ancillary area a minimum of three times per day, during which they remove any trespassers and identify areas that need to be cleaned for prompt spot cleaning. Currently, there are 66 armed security officers assigned to monitor and inspect the ancillary areas at all B and D line stations. Over the last 30 days, 26 trespassers have been removed from the ancillary areas, resulting in six arrests. An additional 87 security officers will be added to the deployment temporarily to ensure there is coverage at all the stations throughout all three shifts.
• Nearly all audible alarms at the ancillary doors have been reprogrammed to sound for up to two hours if the door was entered or exited without first tapping a valid employee ID on the adjacent badge reader. One door remains to be wired for an alarm. Staff estimates this work will be completed before the end of this month. The alarms will be reset by security officers at the station via the badge reader after they have inspected the corridors for trespassers. Once cameras and other monitoring technology are installed, manned security coverage is expected to be reduced.
• Staff continues to evaluate various options to further secure these areas while maintaining emergency access. Operations is investigating opportunities to install gating to prohibit trespassing into ancillary corridors that are not used to access emergency exits.
Staff will provide quarterly updates to the Board on the above activities and progress, including the results of an updated industrial hygienist audit within 12 months.
NEW MULTI-LAYERED DEPLOYMENT UPDATE
On July 10, Metro established a multi-layered deployment utilizing all resources from the public safety ecosystem with applied lessons learned from the Drug-Free Campaign and Supplement Deployment. This strategic, proactive security model will have a significant impact across the entire rail system, including end-of-line stations and mid-point (Focus) stations and will decrease the number of non-destination travelers that are required to leave the rail system at the end of the night when the system closes. The deployment was created by representatives and executives from all the Metro safety layers, including Metro Transit Security, Metro Ambassadors, Homeless Outreach, Contract Security and Law Enforcement, as well as deployment consultants, with equity, customer experience, and accountability in mind.
The below reflects the results of the deployment through the end of August.
End-of-Line Offloading
In the month of August, contract security was reassigned from end-of-line offloading to support security efforts regarding the ancillary areas. In the place of contract security, law enforcement partners are performing end-of-line offloading operations.
To assist in decreasing the number of non-destination travelers and people experiencing homelessness disembarking at end-of-line stations, Metro continues to employ care-based approaches by having TMET, HOPE, and Homeless Outreach augment fare compliance operations. The fare compliance ensures everyone is utilizing the system for the purposes of transit while identifying opportunities to connect those in need with outreach and mental health services. Metro regularly adjusts the deployment based on observations and data to ensure alignment with internal and external partners. Lastly, Metro staff has briefed the Chiefs of Police from several cities at end-of-line stations about the new deployment, particularly the offloading operation, to seek their collaboration.
Law Enforcement Stats
LAPD, LASD, and LBPD enforce the penal code on the system, including conducting trespass investigations. Ejections represent law enforcement engagements during trespass investigations in which an individual is removed after it is determined they did not possess a Tap Card to access the rail or bus system. The below charts depict the totality of law enforcement efforts in support of the multi-layered deployment, including homeless outreach.
*Law enforcement citations and warnings are not related to fare, but for trespassing, loitering, and moving violations.
*LAPD’s HOPE team defines accepting services as when the individual agrees to accept, or requests assistance. This includes placing them in direct contact with a service provider, physically transporting an individual to a shelter that has services available, obtaining emergency medical services, or placing the individual on a mental health hold.
*LASD MET team defines accepted services when a person accepts referrals to shelters, rehabs, or is connected to LAHSA or PATH.
*Long Beach Quality of Life (QOL) leads a “Shelter the Unsheltered” initiative with PATH assisting in the morning hours. QOL works with PATH to coordinate services for those experiencing homelessness.
Transit Security
Transit Security’s primary role in the multi-layered deployment is code of conduct enforcement. The following chart depicts the citations and warnings issued since the deployment began through the end of August. The month of August saw an increase in citations and warnings from July due to MTS supporting end-of-line operations. Of the citations and warnings issued, 96% were due to individuals failing to provide proof of fare.
*Citations and Warnings for August end on August 27 due to the reporting cycle.
NARCAN DEPLOYMENT
In March 2023, Transit Security Officers were trained on how to administer Narcan. Between March and August 2023, Metro Transit Security Officers have deployed Narcan a total of 33 times.
CRIME / ARRESTS STATISTICS AND TRENDS
Overall, crime on the system decreased by 53% in August when compared with April 2023, the month that recorded the highest number of crimes year-to-date for 2023 (341 vs 720). In comparing July with August 2023, crime systemwide increased slightly by 3% (341 vs 331). However, the 3% is below the 4.5% average crime increase of July to August for the years 2017 to 2019. This increase is typically attributed to various summer events in August. The lower than average increase in crime than seen pre-pandemic may be attributed to the increased security efforts throughout 2023 to address crime on the system.
The total arrests for August 2023 were 296, comprised of a gender proportion of 13% (38) female and 87% (258) male. The percentages of arrests by race, compared to July 2023, consisted of 35.47% for Black (a 5.98% decrease), 46.62% for Hispanic (a 6.75% increase), 15.2% for White (a 2.52% decrease), and 2.7% for Other (a 1.75% decrease). A complete breakdown is provided in Attachment B.
Below are six-month comparisons for systemwide, bus, and rail:
Total rail Part 1 crimes increased by 14.63% in August compared to the previous month (94 vs 82). This consists of an increase in aggravated assaults (35 vs 28) and robbery incidents (26 vs 14). Law enforcement identified cell phone thefts as the primary reason behind the increase in robberies systemwide. There were no identifiable trends behind the increase in aggravated assault incidents. Rail lines saw a decrease in motor vehicle thefts (1 vs 3). Part 2 crimes decreased by 5.92% (143 vs 152). This was attributed to a decrease in trespassing, vandalism, and narcotic arrests. However, there was an increase in battery incidents (56 vs 52) and arrests for weapons violations (9 vs 6).
Total bus Part 1 crimes decreased by one crime. This consists of an increase of 5 aggravated assaults. However, there was a decrease of 6 crimes in bike theft, burglary, and larceny incidents. Part 2 crimes increased by 4 total crimes. This was attributed to an increase of 7 battery incidents and 3 narcotics arrests. There was a decrease of 6 crimes in trespassing and vandalism.
For additional details and crime analysis by line, see Attachment C.
OPERATOR SAFETY
In August 2023, operator assaults decreased 13% compared to July 2023 (14 vs 16). Using hands (punch, slap) and throwing a can were the top two methods of assault. Of the 14 assaults, 12 were reported as unknown if a bus barrier was used, 1 assault was reported with the barrier not in use, and 1 assault was recorded with the barrier in use. No patterns or trends were identified.
Staff will continue to assess bus operator assault and crime data to inform bus riding team deployment. In addition, staff continue to engage with bus operators at monthly Division RAP sessions to receive feedback on areas where operators face safety challenges. Bus operators continue to show support for the Bus Riding Team program.
LAPD, LASD, and Transit Security (MTS) bus riding and boarding teams continue to be deployed across the system. In the month of August, MTS bus riding teams were deployed on five lines to cover all five service areas of Metro’s bus system.
While we strive to decrease the number of operator assaults, the rate of assaults in August is consistent with historical averages as shown in Figure A. The type of assaults that occurred in August are summarized in Figure B.
Figure A: Bus/Rail Operator Assaults Year to Year Comparison
Figure B: Methods of Assault
METRO AMBASSADOR PROGRAM UPDATE
A Metro Ambassador’s role is to support our riders, connect riders to resources, and report incidents or maintenance needs. Metro Ambassadors were deployed on the A Line, B Line, C Line, D Line, K Line, the former L Line, and J Line (Silver), as well as bus lines 210, 40, 20, and 720.
Ambassadors were certified and equipped to carry and administer Narcan in April 2023. For the month of August 2023, Metro Ambassadors reported 19 Narcan incidents:
• (9) incidents at WLMP
• (3) incidents at Union Station
• (2) incidents at 7th St. Metro Ctr.
• (1) incident at Slauson Station
• (1) incident at Wilshire/Vermont Station
• (1) incident at Downtown Santa Monica Station
• (1) incident at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station
• (1) incident at Fillmore Station
By the numbers
For the month of August 2023, Metro Ambassadors conducted 69,024 customer interactions and reported the following:
• 863 Cleanliness Issues
• 223 Elevator and Escalator Problems
• 178 Graffiti Incidents
• 208 Safety Issues
Equity Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro continues to implement a multi-layered public safety model that takes a cross-disciplinary approach to address the various safety needs of the system with the involvement of transit security, law enforcement, ambassadors, and social service outreach teams (with trauma-trained teams specializing in working with people experiencing homelessness, mental health issues and drug problems). Having law enforcement’s homeless outreach teams as part of the multi-layered model has shown a profound impact in expanding the reach of homeless services on the system and providing access to critical resources such as reconnecting persons experiencing homelessness with their families and loved ones. Deploying all available outreach teams on the system allows for a care-based approach to individuals in need instead of relying on enforcement as the sole approach to public safety.
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 - Motion 30
Attachment B - Arrests Demographics August 2023
Attachment C - Total Crime Summary August 2023
Attachment D - Systemwide Law Enforcement Overview August 2023
Attachment E - MTA Supporting Data August 2023
Attachment F - Bus & Rail Operator Assaults August 2023
Attachment G - Sexual Harassment Crimes August 2023
Prepared by
Prepared by: Vanessa Smith, Executive Officer, Customer Experience, (213) 922-7009
Robert Gummer, Deputy Executive Officer, Administration, (213) 922-4513
Imelda Hernandez, Senior Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 922-4848
Reviewed By
Reviewed by: Gina Osborn, Chief Safety Officer, Chief Safety Office, (213) 922-3055
Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Customer Experience Office, (213) 940-4060
Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, Operations, (213) 418-3034
