Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JANUARY 19, 2023
Subject
SUBJECT: OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG) REPORT ON METRO TRANSIT SECURITY PERFORMANCE AUDIT FOR FISCAL YEARS 2021 AND 2022
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Report on Metro Transit Security Performance Audit for Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022.
Issue
ISSUE
On February 23, 2017, the Metro Board passed a motion directing the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to conduct an annual audit of each law enforcement services contract to determine how key performance indicators measure up against actual performance metrics. The audit is to ensure that Metro is receiving the services it is paying for. The OIG hired the consultant firm BCA Watson Rice LLP to conduct this audit for Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022.
Background
BACKGROUND
In 2017, LACMTA (Metro) awarded three separate five-year firm fixed unit rate contracts to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), and the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) for transit law enforcement services to support day-to-day operations across Metro’s entire service area. Metro also directly employs transit security officers who perform fare checks and bus/rail patrolling, as overseen by the Systems Security & Law Enforcement (SSLE) Department.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The report discusses the following:
A. Visibility of Law Enforcement
B. Use of Force and Complaint Policies, Procedures, Management and Outcomes
C. Proactive Crime Policing Efforts
D. Homelessness Efforts and Effectiveness
E. System Security and Law Enforcement (SSLE) Department
F. Follow-up on Prior Years Recommendations
Overall Audit Conclusions
• Metro’s System Security and Law Enforcement (SSLE) Department has various policing activities but has not established written targets for the level of visible presence and activity by contract law enforcement personnel on the Metro System, nor have they established an overall policing strategy and plan, nor have they established an approach for providing a security presence on the Metro bus system.
• The SSLE Department has made progress implementing a mechanism for verifying contracted law enforcement actual presence. However, a comprehensive monitoring and oversight mechanism is still lacking.
• The use of force policies for the three contract law enforcement agencies and Metro Transit Security include the foundational and essential elements of a viable and transparent use of force policy. The three contract law enforcement agencies also have strong complaint policies that cover all of the required and best practice elements, however, there is limited transparency on how they reach conclusions.
• Given the importance of providing a visible presence on the Metro System, the amount of contract law enforcement time available for providing a visible security presence, problem solving, and other proactive activities including community policing, are appropriate for a transit system the size of Metro in addition to the other efforts to provide security including Metro Security and the Transit Ambassadors.
• We found no evidence that Metro contract law enforcement agencies used any “predictive” policing approaches or techniques when policing the Metro System. In addition, such “predictive” policing approaches are not needed nor would they be effective for the Metro System. Information on crime trends and locations, as well as complaints from Metro employees and patrons, is useful to focus law enforcement personnel and activities.
• Metro has allocated substantial funding and expended substantial effort to assist persons experiencing homelessness and address impacts on the Metro System. However, a consistent approach to evaluating these efforts and counting homeless persons on the System has not been developed nor implemented.
• Metro’s SSLE Department compliance monitoring and oversight of the law enforcement contracts improved during FY 2021 and FY 2022. However, monitoring and oversight could still be significantly strengthened.
• This report contains fourteen specific findings and recommendations to address these issues and others, and to improve the safety and security of the Metro System.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Office of the Inspector General is providing 14 recommendations to improve/strengthen the controls on transit security, which are summarized in the report’s Exhibit 28. The recommendations will enhance performance efficiency and effectiveness of Metro’s System Security and Law Enforcement Services.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial or budgetary impact by accepting the report, but adoption of the recommendations would contribute to implementing more effective controls.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
It is the opinion of the OIG that there is no direct equity impact by production of this audit. The Office of Equity has received a copy of this report to review.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendations in this report support the following Strategic Plan Goals:
Goal 2.1: Metro is committed to improving security.
Goal 5.2: Metro will exercise good public policy judgment and sound fiscal stewardship.
Goal 5.6: Metro will foster and maintain a strong safety culture.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Metro management should:
• Complete the Schedule for Tracking Metro’s Proposed Actions in Response to the recommendations in Exhibit 28 of the report as determinations are made on implementing the recommendations; and
• Periodically report to the Metro Board on the status of actions taken to implement the recommendations.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: 23-AUD-03 Final Report Metro Transit Security Performance Audit FY21 and FY22
Attachment B: Management Responses to 23-AUD-03
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Dawn Williams-Woodson, Manager, Audit, (213) 244-7302
Yvonne Zheng, Senior Manager, Audit, (213) 244-7301
George Maycott, Senior Director, Special Projects, (213) 244-7310
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Karen Gorman, Inspector General, (213) 922-2975