Meeting_Body
REVISED
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JUNE 16, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE EVALUATION
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS
Heading
RECOMMENDATIONS
Title
CONSIDER:
A. RECEIVING AND FILING the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) Quarterly Report;
B. RECEIVING AND FILING the PSAC Impact Evaluation Report (Attachment C); and
C. DIRECTING the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to implement the recommendations outlined in the Evaluation Report with the current PSAC membership terms to expire July 31, 2022, instead of June 30, 2022.
BONIN AMENDMENT: Extend current Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) membership term to September 1, 2022 to allow Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to return with more specifics and refinement to the recommendation.
Issue
ISSUE
In June 2020, the Board approved Motions 37 and 37.1 (Attachment A and B) that directed the CEO to establish a Public Safety Advisory Committee that would serve as a community-based perspective that Metro could consult with when developing a new scope of services, budget, and other provisions of the anticipated multi-agency police contract renewal effort. Item D of Motion 37 directed the CEO to report back to the Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee on a quarterly basis, and in the final quarterly report of 2022, include an external, third-party evaluation of the effectiveness of PSAC along with a recommendation on whether it should continue. This board report serves as the final quarterly PSAC Report for 2022, as well as an evaluation of PSAC with recommendations by the external, third-party consultant on how to proceed.
Background
BACKGROUND
In April 2021, Metro convened its first PSAC meeting, which was comprised of 15 community members, three community alternatives, and three employees serving as ex-officio members.
As articulated in Article II of the PSAC Charter, PSAC was tasked with accomplishing 10 objectives including:
1. Developing recommendations in support of a community-based approach to public safety on the transit system;
2. Providing input when developing the new scope of services, budget, and other provisions of the multi-agency police contract renewal;
3. Reviewing the Customer Code of Conduct and providing feedback;
4. Developing a new mission and values statement for transit policing;
5. Responding to customer service surveys related to safety and security;
6. Presenting a set of recommendations on Transit Law Enforcement Services;
7. Developing and finalizing recommendations to alternative investments in public safety strategies;
8. Developing recommendations for a $3 million investment in pilot safety strategies on board buses;
9. Developing recommendations for a $3 million investment in pilot homeless strategies on board buses; and
10. Providing program design and implementation feedback on various funding initiatives
Since April 2021, PSAC has held 27 general meetings and 65 ad-hoc subcommittee meetings. The terms of current PSAC members expire on June 30, 2022.
As instructed in Motion 37.1, Wanda Dunham Consulting, LLC (WDC) was retained in April 2022 to complete an Impact Evaluation Report regarding the effectiveness of the PSAC. WDC led an evaluation team and assembled an external panel of subject-matter experts and community members to participate in the focus groups, share their key observations and provide input into the final report. The evaluation panel members were:
Wanda Dunham- With over 30 years of distinguished law enforcement experience, Wanda is a proven subject matter expert in the field of transportation security.
Sandra Bethea- With over 20 years of multifaceted social service and leadership experience in developing community-based programs, strategic planning, program evaluation and fiscal management in the areas of transit operations, safety and security, education, and health equity.
Edna Parra- As program manager, communications and community engagement expert, Edna currently serves as the PSAC Coordinator for Capital Metro in Austin, Texas.
Bill Greene- Bill has over 31 years experience in local government auditing. Herbert W. Franklin- Lieutenant Colonel Franklin is a LA METRO transit commuter who resides in Long Beach, California. He brings technical, community, and leadership insights to the panel as an Acquisition Program Strategist.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
PSAC QUARTERLY REPORT
The following are highlights from PSAC’s last quarter of meetings:
From March through May 2022, PSAC held six (6) general meetings and six (6) ad-hoc subcommittee meetings. In these meetings, the following topics were discussed: FY23 proposed Public Safety Budget, Code of Conduct, and Recommendations on the Flexible Dispatch Program. In June, PSAC plans to discuss and vote on recommendations for enhanced community outreach strategies and on the place-based implementation strategy as outlined in Motion 25.1.
EVALUATION
The goal of this impact evaluation was to assess and report on the effectiveness of PSAC in accomplishing the Board’s stated objectives, which generally focused on improving Metro’s safety, security, and law enforcement design. The evaluation followed a comprehensive approach that assessed the structure, practices, and accomplishments of the PSAC to date, in order to evaluate its mission, role, function, and impact. WDC focused on the following core areas:
1. Evaluating the mission of the PSAC by assessing its stated purpose, role, and fundamental principles
2. Determining if PSAC is reflective of the Metro community
3. Studying the PSAC structure and practices
4. Assessing the effectiveness of the PSAC work completed
WDC engaged PSAC members, Metro staff, Metro contract facilitators, and Metro Board staff in a review to assess the effectiveness of PSAC as an advisory body. In addition, WDC conducted independent research, a comparative analysis of promising practices, document review, assessment surveys, individual interviews, and focus group sessions, as well as consulted with subject matter experts to conduct their assessment of the effectiveness of the PSAC.
▪ Document review - a review and analysis of key documents, including the PSAC Charter, PSAC meeting minutes, Results of Survey of METRO Riders, PSAC member attendance logs, community comments during meetings, and any additional complaint/comment logs obtained related to PSAC meetings.
▪ PSAC Assessment Survey - All PSAC members, key Metro staff, and board representatives were invited to complete an online survey to share in confidence their insights related to PSAC.
▪ Focus Groups - A total of five focus groups were conducted, with a total of 28 PSAC members, facilitators, and Metro staff participating.
▪ Individual Interviews - The evaluation team conducted 13 individual interviews with Board representatives and Metro staff to further expand on the feedback provided in the online assessment survey and focus groups.
▪ External Panel - WDC assembled an external panel of subject-matter experts and community members to participate in the focus groups, share their key observations, and provide input into this final Report.
▪ Comparative Practices of Other Public Safety Advisory Committees
PSACs have been established all over the country. WDC reviewed five (5) transit agencies across the country in search of best practices among PSACs (including Tri-Met, the transportation authority in Portland, Oregon, Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) in Washington D.C., Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) in Austin, Texas, King County Transit in Seattle, Washington, and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) in Oakland, California.
Key findings include:
- There was a strong consensus among all parties that PSAC was established with the charge of reimagining transit safety and community-based approaches to policing. There was also strong agreement on the need for both community insights and advocacy related to safety and security for Metro transit commuters and stakeholders.
- WDC found that some PSAC members did not have a general understanding or agreement regarding fundamental principles associated with the mission of the committee, such as the definition of safety in the context of a transit system, to drive the group’s collective efforts.
- Based on surveys of involved stakeholders, there was no consensus that the representation on PSAC adequately represented all stakeholder groups or reflects Metro’s ridership.
- PSAC decided to not appoint a Chair or Vice Chair, which impeded the efficiency of the meetings and its ability to advance positions.
- There was consensus among PSAC members who participated in the evaluation, that PSAC had not made a significant impact to date, and this sentiment was generally shared by Metro staff and Board representatives.
- WDC found that a majority of PSAC’s recommendations to date have not aligned with Metro’s layered approach to public safety that included non-law enforcement alternatives in conjunction with law enforcement services.
RECCOMENDATION
WDC proposed the following five (5) key recommendations based on their thorough data review, comparative practices benchmarking and stakeholder feedback:
- Recommendation 1: The current PSAC members’ terms should sunset on June 30, 2022. While Metro staff concurs with sunsetting the current members’ terms, staff believes the terms should sunset July 31, 2022 in order to provide sufficient time for the committee to conclude their work.
- Recommendation 2: The Metro CEO should establish a new committee to ensure a broader and more equally balanced representation to support it’s governance and operational structure in a manner that is consistent with the PSAC Charter.
- Recommendation 3: The Metro CEO should set top security priorities in collaboration with the committee. These priorities should be documented in a work plan with clearly defined areas for committee feedback. A quarterly review should be conducted by a designee of the CEO to monitor PSAC’s progress and the effectiveness and implications of recommendations that are implemented.
- Recommendation 4: The new committee should remain an advisory committee.
- Recommendation 5: The revision of the charter with more clear objectives, and the selection of the new committee members should be in place by September 2022.
WDC’s research, analysis and justification for the proposed recommendations are provided within the full Impact Evaluation Report (Attachment C).
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact with this board recommendation.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Through the implementation of PSAC, Metro has recognized the importance of hearing diverging experiences and perspectives regarding Metro’s operations and public safety strategies. In adopting staff’s recommendations, Metro will be able to expand opportunities to consult with diverse perspectives, while ensuring that the advisory committee is operated in a manner that is consistent with the governance model outlined in the PSAC Charter and focuses on core objectives associated with operating a safe and equitable transit system.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
This recommendation aligns with Goal 2.1 - Metro is committed to improving security, and Goal 3.3-Metro is committed to genuine public and community engagement to achieve better mobility outcomes for the people of LA County.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may choose not to approve the recommendation to implement the recommendations outlined in the Evaluation Report and the recommendation for current PSAC membership terms to expire July 31, 2022 instead of June 30, 2022. Staff does not recommend this alternative for the following reasons: 1. If we were to continue with the June 30, 2022 term we would create a community-based perspective gap from the reimagining safety work, and 2. The current PSAC structure has limited effectiveness for PSAC members and Metro staff, impeding the efficiency of the meetings and its ability to advance core safety objectives.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
If the item is approved, Metro staff will begin implementing the recommendations outlined in the Impact Evaluation Report. Metro staff will continue to work with a reconstituted advisory committee to provide input into Metro’s various public safety efforts.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Motion 37
Attachment B - Motion 37.1
Attachment C - PSAC Impact Evaluation Report
Attachment D - March 2, 2022, PSAC Meeting Minutes
Attachment E - March 16, 2022, PSAC Meeting Minutes
Attachment F - April 6, 2022, PSAC Meeting Minutes
Attachment G - April 20, 2022, PSAC Meeting Minutes
Attachment H - May 4, 2022, PSAC Meeting Minutes
Attachment I - May 18, 2022, PSAC Meeting Minutes
Attachment J - May 4, 2022 Flexible Dispatch Recommendations Memo
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Gina Osborn, Chief Safety Officer, (213) 922-3055
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Nicole Englund, Chief of Staff, (213) 922-7950
