Metro - File #: 2022-0089

• File #: 2022-0089
• Type: Informational Report
• Status: Filed
• File created: 2/7/2022
• In control: Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee
• On agenda: 3/17/2022
• Final action: 3/17/2022
• Title: RECEIVE AND FILE Transit Safety and Security Report.
• Sponsors: Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Commit
• Indexes: Informational Report, Law enforcement, Long Beach Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, Police, Safety, Safety and security, Security, Transit safety

Date	Action By	Action	Result
3/17/2022	Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee

Meeting_Body

OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE

MARCH 17, 2022

Subject

SUBJECT:                     MONTHLY UPDATE ON TRANSIT SAFETY AND SECURITY PERFORMANCE

Action

ACTION:                     RECEIVE AND FILE

Heading

RECOMMENDATION

Title

RECEIVE AND FILE Transit Safety and Security Report.

Issue
ISSUE

As of June 2021, Metro System Security & Law Enforcement (SSLE) has revised and updated the performance data to improve accuracy and details related to KPIs for its multi-agency law enforcement deployment strategies provided by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), and Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). To avoid discrepancies related to crime reclassifications and maintain consistency with contract terms and conditions, SSLE will have all data submitted by the 15th of every month. This will provide ample time for staff to review, thereby providing the Board with complete and accurate data.

Background

BACKGROUND

The following sections provide data, trends, and updates on SSLE initiatives to help improve public safety on the Metro system.

Discussion
DISCUSSION

LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRACT COMPLIANCE

Technical Review

The SSLE Administration and Compliance Unit continue to verify that all field Officers/Deputies on duty are tapping their Metro-issued badges at all TAP machines when patrolling Metro buses, trains, and rail stations/corridors. This ensures high visibility for riders utilizing Metro’s services, while also establishing a method of accountability for our contracted law enforcement personnel.

Upon reviewing the sample size from December 2021 and the relevant supporting information provided by LAPD and LBPD, it was determined that the Officers from the daily deployment schedule served at their respective details and are compliant with the contract.

LASD encountered a problem with their information technology. Due to this problem, they could not complete their review of staff’s discrepancies discovered and submit relevant supporting information. LASD will continue to work on these issues. Upon receiving supporting information, staff will review and report findings in the April report.

Community Policing Updates

As part of Metro’s Community Safety Partnerships, each contracted agency hosts its own community policing events. The following is an update on reported community engagements in January and February:

 

Human Trafficking Awareness Month Lunch & Learn

As part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, SSLE hosted a Lunch & Learn webinar for Metro employees The presentation taught participants about the critical role transit agencies play in combating human trafficking. Speakers included Dr. Kezban Sokat (Associate Professor from the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University), Sergeant Jeffrey Walker (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau-Human Trafficking Task Force), and Tera Hilliard (CEO of Forgotten Children, Inc.). Sixty (60) Metro employees attended the webinar. Additionally, SSLE provided two agency-wide emails with information on how to report human trafficking

On the Move Riders Program - Cyber Seniors Series

As part of Metro’s Community Safety Partnerships, SSLE participated in the On the Move Riders Program (OTMRP) “Cyber Seniors Series" From February 15^th to the 17^th, 2022. The OTMRP teaches senior citizens how to ride the Metro system and travel safely. SSLE highlighted Transit Watch and taught seniors how to download the app on their mobile devices, and how to report incidents on the Metro system to Transit Security and Law Enforcement.

METRO TRANSIT SECURITY (MTS)

Spotlight

On February 18^th, 2022, Metro Transit Security Officers Marvin Garcia and Oscar Hernandez were on duty at Union Station Red Line. The officers observed an individual that they recognized from a Los Angeles County Sheriffs missing persons flyer from January 22^nd, 2022. The flyer described the individual as missing, male, a juvenile, and at risk. Officers Garcia and Hernandez noted that he was in good spirits, clean, and appeared to be well-nourished. Prior to taking action, the officers verified with our law enforcement partners whether the juvenile from January’s bulletin was still considered a missing person. After confirming that he was in fact still missing, the officers contacted LAPD, who then took the minor into custody at Union Station and eventually released him to a family member that same day. 

On February 18^th, 2022, Metro Transit Security Officers Mitchel Triay and Amilcar Oliveros were on duty at Union Station. A bus operator flagged them down and reported an incident at the East Portal. The officers responded and found an individual who said he was attacked in the men’s restroom. The officers identified the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The suspect had a hammer concealed on his person. The victim received medical treatment at the scene but declined to be transported to a hospital. LAPD took custody of the suspect.

Quality Service Audits

For January, MTS completed seventeen (17) Quality Service Audits. MTS Supervisors contacted two (2) internal partners, and fifteen (15) patrons to gain feedback on the performance of our officers. Those surveyed gave ratings ranging from "meets," "exceeded," and “greatly exceeded” expectations for the services rendered by Transit Security Officers (TSOs).

Calls for Service

For the month of January, Transit Security received 462 calls for service, compared to 421 calls for service in December 2021. The following is a breakdown of the call categories and response times.

•                     Routine: Transit Security received 323 calls and responded to 276 of them with an average response time of twelve (12) minutes. The remaining calls were assigned to law enforcement, contract security, or other entities such as maintenance, Rail Operations Control, Bus Operations Control, local fire department, or elevator tech.

•                     Priority: Transit Security received 139 calls and responded to 116 of them with an average response time of six (6) minutes. The remaining calls were assigned to law enforcement, contract security, or other entities such as maintenance, Rail Operations Control, Bus Operations Control, local fire department, or elevator tech.

•                     High Priority: Transit Security did not receive any high priority calls.

BUS OPERATIONS SECURITY

In January, there were a total of thirteen (13) assaults on bus/rail operators, with nine (9) assaults occurring in LAPD's jurisdiction and four (4) assaults occurring in LASD's jurisdiction. Furthermore, there were 16,743 bus boardings by LAPD officers and  6,200 bus boardings by LASD deputies on various routes throughout the system. LAPD’s analysis revealed that the decrease in bus operator assaults (from November 2021’s twelve-month high of 12 assaults followed by 11 assaults in December 2021) can be attributed to Transit Services Bureau officers’ bus boardings and interactions with bus patrons at the identified problem locations. The problem locations have been identified through daily analysis and officers interacting with bus operators at the end of the line. Detectives determined the incidents were unrelated based on the suspects’ descriptions, location of occurrence, and victim interviews. Currently, there are no crime trends or patterns that have been identified by both LAPD and LASD.

Staff is implementing the following concepts to decrease operator assaults and increase the feeling of safety:

•                     Law enforcement partners and SSLE Community Liaison meet weekly with bus operators to build relationships, discuss safety strategies, de-escalation techniques, and reporting processes.

•                     Bystander Training that will introduce operators to scenario-based training for response options to events on a bus.

•                     A weekly newsletter to be distributed via email and at Divisions to address safety and security tips, wellness, emergency preparedness, and other relative topics.

•                     Collaboration with Operations to collect and evaluate feedback from operators to better understand needs.

•                     Consideration of deployment of Metro Transit Security on buses.

We will provide updates on the effectiveness of the above strategies in future reports.

SUPER BOWL SECURITY PLAN

In February 2022, SSLE participated in region-wide preparedness activities to support Super Bowl LVI, which was held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Support was also directed to Downtown Los Angeles, where the Super Bowl Experience was being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Led by Metro’s Emergency Management Department, Metro activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Leading up to the Super Bowl and Super Bowl Experience, Emergency Management developed the Event Action (Security) Plan and established a liaison with the City of Inglewood’s Operation Center for coordination, communication, and collaboration among the more than twenty (20) command posts. Additionally, LAPD, LASD, Metro Transit Security, and contract security (RMI) increased their presence on the Metro system by 174%. This increased security measure also included partners from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  Overall, the Super Bowl planning initiative, which Metro had been strategizing for more than nine months prior to February, was vital to the success of Metro’s response to all the Super Bowl activities. As Metro prepares for future major events coming to Los Angeles, this operation will serve as a guide to inform SSLE and its partners of how best to ensure a safe and efficient transportation system.

SAFETY BULLETIN

Transit Security began publishing a weekly periodical focusing on a multitude of safety-related topics spanning from health, environmental, and personal safety, workplace safety, and more. In addition, it will include interactive opportunities for employees to provide feedback on developing topics through polls. The bulletin will be sent to employees via email, included once a week in the Daily Brief, as well as printed and distributed to Operations divisions. The pilot issue was delivered on February 24^th, 2022. Internal marketing will include posters featuring a QR code directing readers to archived issues that can be searched by topic.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The Peace Over Violence (POV) contract ended on January 1^st, 2022. Calls are now being routed through Metro Transit Security Operations Center, which then transfers the caller to one (1) of three (3) free 24/7 hotlines - Peace Over Violence, Center for the Pacific Asian Family Inc., and Sister Family Services - that can provide more directed counseling. Between January 1^st through January 31^st, Metro Transit Security, LAPD, and LASD received and referred a total of 13 victims of sexual harassment to the above free hotlines.

BYSTANDER PROGRAM

The previous report announced that the Bystander Intervention Training Program would be launching in February 2022. This date has been adjusted to Spring of 2022 to allow draft materials to be thoroughly reviewed by an internal working group consisting of members from the Office of Civil Rights, Racial Equity & Inclusion, County Counsel, and the Office of Inspector General. The expanded launch window will also grant more time to prepare the learning materials for launch on Metro’s Adobe Captivate Prime learning portal.

Equity_Platform

EQUITY PLATFORM

The weekly safety bulletin will serve as a channel for SSLE to communicate with employees, especially front-line staff. The periodical will benefit employees and help empower them by providing valuable safety information to improve their work environment. As mentioned above, it will also include interactive features such as polls to gather employee feedback on developing safety topics.

The random Quality Service Audits (QSA) provide a key assessment tool to help measure and enhance customer’s perception of safety, security, customer service, and public sentiment toward Metro Transit Security. This comes in the form of a survey that asks to rate the service provided by Transit Security Officers. Participants range from external and internal personnel and patrons who ride the system. For the month of January, we had the following representation of QSAs for riders/patrons.

January QSA Demographics	Avg. Rating (out of 20)	2017 System Demographics (On-board Survey)
18% African American	18	16% African American
29% Hispanic	19	56% Hispanic
35% Caucasian	18	13% Caucasian
0% Asian American	NA	9% Asian American
0%	NA	1% Native American
6% Other	17	5% Other
12% No info	17

Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS

Staff will continue to monitor our law enforcement partners, private security, and Transit Security performance, monitor crime stats, and adjust deployment as necessary.

Attachments

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A - Sexual Harassment Crimes January 2022

Attachment B - Systemwide Law Enforcement Overview January 2022

Attachment C - MTA Supporting Data January 2022

Attachment D - Transit Police Summary January 2022

Attachment E - Monthly, Bi-Annual, Annual Comparison January 2022

Attachment F - Violent, Prop, and Part 1 Crimes January 2022

Attachment G - Demographics Data January 2022

Prepared by

Prepared by: Judy Gerhardt, Deputy Chief System Security and Law Enforcement Officer, (213) 922-4811

Reviewed By

Reviewed by: Gina Osborn, Chief Safety Officer, (213) 922-3055