Meeting_Body
SYSTEM SAFETY, SECURITY AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
MAY 18, 2017
Subject/Action
SUBJECT: MONTHLY UPDATE ON TRANSIT POLICING PERFORMANCE
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE monthly update on Transit Policing performance.
Issue
ISSUE
On October 4, 2014, the board requested that staff provide a monthly update on transit policing performance to Systems Safety and Operations Committee. Specifically, the board requested monthly updates on criminal activity, fare compliance, response time, deployment and perception of safety.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
This report covers the month of March 2017. Staff continues to be proactive in working with Operations, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), and Communications in addressing perception of safety, criminal activity, fare compliance, response time, and deployment.
In the new law enforcement services contract, staff is including key performance indicators as tools to track performance.
Below are the key highlights for March 2017:
Monthly Update on Transit Policing Performance Report:
Staff is working on redesigning the Systems Safety and Operations Committee monthly transit policing performance report in order to enhance the current reporting system and to incorporate the recently awarded contract to LAPD and LBPD.
Actions to Improve the Ridership Experience:
Metro is committed to providing a safe and quality ridership experience for all of its customers. To minimize blight and disorder on the Metro system in part caused by homelessness (encampments, loitering without fare, etc.) and illegal vending, Metro has launched The Vendor Pilot Program at Westlake/MacArthur Park.
1) Westlake/ McArthur Park Vendor Pilot Program
To control the voluminous non-permitted illegal vending at Metro’s Red/Purple Line Westlake/ McArthur Park station, Metro has partnered with Supervisor Solis and Los Angeles City Council Office, Gil Cedillo to launch a controlled Vendor Pilot Program. The result of this pilot program is to minimize blight and disorder at this station by eliminating unpermitted street vending on Metro Property, ensure safe boarding and alighting of bus patrons and to ultimately transform the station plaza into an inviting environment.
A total of 34 booths and 68 spaces will be made available on a daily basis for local street vendors and one booth will be made available for local nonprofits to conduct outreach and education on a rotating basis. This initiative is part of Metro's efforts to establish innovative “Problem-Oriented Policing” strategies to address long-term concerns about blight and disorder at stations. The strategy aims to reduce crime by involving public and private organizations in the reduction of community problems.
The pilot program was launched on 3/30/17
High Visibility
• Transit Security Officers (TSO) and Los Angeles County Sheriffs (LASD) have been engaging and interacting with patrons and operators to increase presence and increase the perception of safety on the Metro system. LASD has a 20 deputy train riding team (10 cover the Red and Gold Lines and 10 cover Blue, Expo and Green Lines. The goal of these operations is to combat quality of life issues on the Metro system. TSO’s conduct high visibility both on bus and rail.
• On March 13, 2017, we launched a 5-week operation focused exclusively on improving the Blue Line ridership experience. Metro security & law enforcement personnel will ride trains, interact with passengers, and take action to:
o Eliminate vending, solicitation, and aggressive panhandling
o Eliminate offensive, boisterous behavior
o Eliminate loud music
o Address seat hogging or taking up excessive space
§ TSO High Visibility Activity:
Criminal Activity:
MARCH 2017:
Bus Operator Assaults:
• In March 2017 there were 11 operator assaults. Of the 11 total operator assaults, 31.7% of the total assaults have had a suspect taken into custody. The majority of bus operator assaults are caused by fare related followed by patrons demanding to stop.
• Comparing March 2016 to March 2017, Operator Assaults have increased 21%.
• Of the 11 total operator assaults from March 2017, there were 9 non-aggravated assaults, 2 aggravated assaults. The method of assault was as follows: 7 used hands/feet, 1 threw cold liquid, 1 threw hot liquid, 1 used a weapon, and 1 used pepper spray.
• Attachment B contains the matrix for the suspects who have assaulted Bus Operators that LASD has been tracking.
• In March 2017 there were 35,672,953 bus boardings and 11 total operator assaults, equating to 1 bus operator assault per 3.8 million boardings.
Operator Safety:
• The ongoing Transit Ambassador Program focuses on classes that address conflict resolution for Operators and Supervisors.
• Metro Operations is continuing to move forward with the installation of barriers and monitors in the remaining serviceable fleet.
• In June 2016 staff started a program to retrofit operator barriers onto buses. This program is expected to run for approximately 24 months. Staff is also developing a new program to have video monitors retrofit onto the rest of Metro’s bus fleet.
• As of March, 2017 the Metro New Flyer Buses that in service are as follows:
o Number of New Flyer buses in service (LA Metro & Contract Services) = 900 of 900
o Number of buses “in-service” with protective barriers = 883
o Number of buses “in-service” with live video monitors = 895
o All other New Flyer Buses are complete. Buses (15) remaining are Contract Services’.
Significant Activities
• 3/3/2017- Unit 600 was flagged down on a couple who he thought was fighting. The female was apparently not breathing as she was choking on a piece of food. Unit 600 immediately began CPR and was successful in his efforts which ultimately saved her life. Paramedics were requested to the scene and she was transported to a local hospital for follow up.
• 3/10/2017- TPD units responded to the location regarding a female suspect who brandished a box cutter at a contract security officer following an argument with her boyfriend. Contract security officer positively identified a female patron who brandished a box cutter and she was arrested without incident. The victim was not injured.
• 3/17/2017- Unit # 642f responded to an assault call aboard bus # 6144. They detained a male who was positively identified who forcefully took a patron’s phone. The male was arrested for strong-arm robbery.
• 3/31/2017- Transit policing division pm shift watch commander reports at approximately 1913 hours, transit policing division received a call of two males assaulting each other with knives at the Artesia Bus Center in the city of Compton. Upon their arrival, the deputies detained two males who were armed with knives without incident. Both males suffered facial lacerations which were non-life threatening. Witnesses at the scene indicated both males attacked each other due to possible gang affiliation.
Paramedics from the Compton City Fire department arrived on scene and treated the suspects for their injuries. The suspects were arrested and transported to local hospitals for further medical review. After being released from the hospital, the suspects were transported to a local sheriff’s facility for booking. Two knives were recovered from the scene and no MTA bus patrons were injured during the incident.
Fare compliance:
• In March 2017, law enforcement and Transit Security performed 124,188 fare checks on the rails and Orange Line. Based on the monthly targets, in March 2017 law enforcement had a 1% saturation rate. Although law enforcement ceased their fare compliance operations, they still have the discretion to check fare on a case by case basis.
• Based on the chart, green checks occur when a patron has valid fare and has tapped at a turnstile or stand-alone validator. Yellow checks occur when a patron has valid fare, but failed to TAP at a transfer point. Red checks occur when a patron either has a daily/weekly/monthly pass and has not tapped at all during their trip, has stored value and failed to TAP, or has no stored value.
• The fluctuation of ticket issuance is due to transition of fare compliance from LASD to Metro Transit Security. LASD ceased fare compliance beginning January 2017.
• Metro’s Transit Security department was authorized to hire an additional 77 TSO to help with fare compliance.
o As of 3/31/17, 41 new TSO have been hired
o We expect to complete the hiring process by May 2017.
• At the discretion of the fare inspector, patrons are encouraged to make payment at the ticket vending machine or TAP their card on the validator in lieu of receiving a citation.
Traffic Enforcement Activity in the Bus Rapid Transit Lanes:
• Per a board members request, beginning September 2016, we began to track citations issued along Wilshire Blvd.
• In March 2017, there were 102 “Failure to Obey Signs” citations issued on Wilshire Blvd.
Response Time:
• In March 2017, the average response time for “Calls for Service” (Emergency, Priority, and Routine) for all rail lines and buses was 13.06 minutes.
• LASD reports emergency call responses averaged 5.6 minutes in March 2017.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Transit Policing Division Report March 2017
Attachment B - Matrix of Bus Operator Assault Suspects
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Alex Z Wiggins, Chief, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-4433
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Stephanie Wiggins, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, (213) 922-1023
