Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
APRIL 21, 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.
The Compliance Unit reviewed TAP reports provided by Metro’s TAP Department against law enforcement deployment documents to verify that Officers/Deputies are tapping at turnstiles and/or readers. The data reviewed encompasses the months of December 2021 through February 2022. Upon reviewing the TAP reports and daily deployment information, it was determined that law enforcement partners are tapping their Metro badges throughout their shifts.
Community Policing Updates
As part of Metro’s Community Safety Partnerships, each contracted agency hosts its own community policing events. Below are events that took place during this reporting period.
METRO TRANSIT SECURITY (MTS)
Quality Service Audits
For February, MTS completed thirteen (13) Quality Service Audits. MTS Supervisors randomly contacted three (3) internal partners, one (1) external partner, and nine (9) patrons to gain feedback on the performance of our officers. Of the 17 surveyed, all gave ratings of "meets," "exceeded," or “greatly exceeded” expectations for the services rendered by Transit Security Officers (TSOs).
Calls for Service
For the month of February, Transit Security received 470 calls for service, compared to 462 calls for service in January 2022. The following is a breakdown of the call categories and response times.
• Routine: Transit Security received 415 calls and responded to 363 of them with an average response time of ten (10) 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. (Routine: Assignments that are distributed to Metro Security Officers that require their presence to resolve, correct or assist a situation.)
• Priority: Transit Security received 55 calls and responded to 47 of them with an average response time of four (4) 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: Calls endangering property are dispatched as soon as possible if units are available, with the exception of bomb threats calls, which are dispatched immediately to law enforcement. Vandalism and burglary calls may be delayed until officers are available.)
• High Priority: Transit Security did not receive any high priority calls. (High priority: Calls that are in-progress events where persons or high-value property is in immediate danger. This call requires as many personnel as possible to respond safely but quickly.)
BUS OPERATIONS SECURITY
In February, there were a total of thirteen (13) assaults on bus/rail operators, with seven (7) assaults occurring in LAPD's jurisdiction and six (6) assaults occurring in LASD's jurisdiction. Furthermore, there were 12,055 bus boardings by LAPD officers and 6,005 bus boardings by LASD deputies on various routes throughout the system. 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 off the suspects’ descriptions, locations of occurrence, and victim interviews. Currently, there are no crime trends or patterns that have been identified by both LAPD and LASD. For details regarding the thirteen (13) bus operator assaults in February, please refer to the report titled Attachment G - Bus Operator Assaults February 2022.
Bus Strategies Operator Security Initiatives
Due to the recent number of crimes against our operators, SSLE has been working on the Bus Strategies Operator Security initiative to help improve operators' safety. The department is prioritizing the following efforts listed below because it is important for employees to feel safe in their work environment. Please note that some of these concepts have launched, and the department is currently collecting information and evaluating their effectiveness:
• Law enforcement partners and SSLE Community Liaison are meeting weekly with bus operators to build relationships, discuss safety strategies, de-escalation techniques, and reporting processes
• Bystander Training
• Safety Bulletin Weekly Newsletter
• Collaboration with Operations to collect and evaluate feedback from operators to better understand needs
• Consideration of deployment of Metro Transit Security on buses
SAFETY BULLETIN
As of March 25th, Transit Security has published six (6) issues of a weekly internal periodical focusing on a multitude of safety-related topics spanning from health, environmental, and personal safety, workplace safety, and more. In addition, it includes interactive opportunities for employees to provide feedback on developing topics through polls. The bulletin is sent to employees via email, included once a week in the Daily Brief, as well as printed and distributed to Operations divisions. The safety bulletin will be released every Friday until further notice.
The weekly safety bulletin is a resource meant to help employees feel more confident when using the system. The bulletins are printed and posted at every division. Through this new initiative, SSLE hopes to increase employees' perception of safety using their suggested tools and tactics, especially front-line staff who are the most vulnerable.
BYSTANDER PROGRAM
The Bystander Intervention Training Program is currently being workshopped by a working group composed of members from the Office of Civil Rights Racial Equity & Inclusion (OCRREI), County Counsel, and the Office of Inspector General. The updated training incorporating working group feedback has been completed and in final review before moving to Talent Development for production. This process brings SSLE one step closer to releasing the training via the eLearning portal.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Calls related to sexual harassment are routed through Metro Transit Security Operations Center, which then transfers the caller to a free 24/7 hotline - Peace Over Violence, Center for the Pacific Asian Family Inc., and Sister Family Services - that can provide more directed counseling. Between February 1st through February 28th, Metro Transit Security, LAPD, and LASD received seventeen (17) incidents and referred a total of fifteen (15) victims of sexual harassment to the above free hotlines.
PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
In the March general PSAC meetings, the committee had the opportunity to hear from external speakers. On March 2nd, a panel discussion with ACT-LA, Labor Community Strategy Center, and Transit Center was held, with a primary focus on alternatives to public safety. Furthermore, on March 16th, the PSAC heard from multiple speakers representing the CALIF-ILC, who focused on the safety challenges and priorities faced by riders with disabilities.
Public Safety Budget
Motion 25.1 asked staff to consult with PSAC throughout the FY23 budget development process. After hearing staff presentations and undergoing a budget exercise, the PSAC outlined and voted on guiding principles for the FY23 public safety budget (see Attachment L). The key takeaways are as follows:
1) Less Funding for Private Security: Roughly 86% of committee members would like to see less funding allocated to private security personnel on Metro.
2) More Funding for Homeless Services: For almost all strategies under Homeless Outreach Services, committee members would like to see funding increase.
3) No Increase for Law Enforcement Contracts: For the Law Enforcement Contracts, members would not like to see funding increase. Instead, they opt for a decrease in funding or recommend that funding remain the same.
4) More Funding for Transit Ambassadors: Members would like to see funding increase for the Transit Ambassador pilot program.
5) Continue Investing in “Creating a Safe Environment”: Members would like to see the funding increase or remain the same for the Creating a Safe Environment strategies.
6) Mixed Feedback re: Technology: Funding for Investments in Technology see mixed preferences based on the individual strategies. However, for all strategies in this category, members seek to increase or maintain funding levels.
7) No Consensus Around Emergency Response and Safety & Security: There is no clear consensus around the funding for Emergency Response or Safety & Security Initiatives Support.
8) Need for Revised Categorization and Increased Transparency When Naming Budget Items: Members requested that a number of budget line items be recategorized or renamed in the preceding table. The reorganization should strive to increase public understanding of how monies will be used and better reflect the end recipient of Public Safety Budget funds. Members felt that certain terminology or vague titling (such as “Emergency Response” being used for the design and construction of a physical building) obfuscated the funding’s purpose. Additionally, this request attempts to correctly categorize when funds are going to law enforcement or agencies or internal System Safety initiatives.
9) Request for Public Safety Budget to Include Funding for Metro’s Office of Equity and Race (OER): Citing information from a presentation on the forthcoming Place-Based Implementation Strategy, members requested that forthcoming Public Safety Budgets include a line-item set-aside for the SSLE department to coordinate with OER on new and ongoing public safety program development and implementation.
In alignment with PSAC’s feedback to increase funding for homeless services, the proposed budget includes additional funding to expand the number of outreach teams, deploy crisis response teams, and staffing support to expand the Homeless Outreach & Engagement unit. Furthermore, the proposed budget includes funding for new safety initiatives such as bystander training and a situational awareness simulator for Transit Security officers. With the transit ambassador program expected to launch in early 2023, staff will be able to revisit and assess the appropriate funding levels for this program and the private security and law enforcement contracts. This month the FY23 budget development progress update report will provide more details on the proposed overall public safety budget for the agency.
ANALYTICS-LED PUBLIC SAFETY FRAMEWORK
The Analytics-Led Public Safety framework will enable a collaborative and consolidated approach to public safety that ties together all reimagining efforts. PSAC and other stakeholders, including ACT-LA, have raised concerns that the Analytics-Led Public Safety Framework equates to predictive policing. As previously stated, the analytics led framework is not racial profiling or predictive policing. It is important to note that race will not be used as a data point for deployment. Racial data will only be used to measure outcomes. SSLE will be working with internal partners such as the Office of Equity and Race, Operations, and Homeless Outreach to receive their feedback on data analysis. Staff will be transparent with the community on what the data says, how it shapes the safety strategies and continue to be open to feedback from the community.
LA Metro will take a holistic approach to data driven decision making and look for ways to streamline our processes to prioritize safety and security while receiving the best return on investment. LA Metro will bring together large amounts of data in a variety of ways. However, this does not include using algorithms. This will shift our current approach from being reactive and responsive to being proactive and preventive when it comes to increasing safety for our riders and employees.
This public safety framework utilizes new strategies for Metro that rely on a layered approach to ensure Metro has a system designed to enhance safety and security. Feeling safe can look different to everyone, so it’s important to consider more than the visibility and enforcement of security officers and law enforcement. Transit Ambassadors, custodians, mental health clinicians, homeless outreach workers, schedule checkers and bus and rail operators can share observed data that can be turned into analysis to identify trends and support business decisions. For example, the data may tell us where environmental upgrades such as better lighting are needed, where transit ambassadors should be deployed to aid riders with wayfinding or where homeless outreach workers should be deployed to render the most assistance.
SSLE will be working with internal partners such as the Offices of Equity and Race, Operations, Homeless Outreach, Customer Care, Labor Relations, and Ethics to receive their feedback on data analysis. Staff will be transparent with the community on what the data says, how it shapes the safety strategies and continue to be open to feedback from the community.
.Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
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 February, we had the following representation of QSAs for riders/patrons.
The PSAC budgeting exercise is an effort to diversify influence on investment decisions for system security and law enforcement. Shifting funds to support community-based approaches to policing, such as a transit ambassador program and the homeless outreach teams, are anticipated to benefit marginalized groups by making resources more accessible to riders and offering more public service choices. The diverse resources offered will help Metro personalize its customer service to better meet its riders' needs. They are intended to create a sense of community where riders feel like they belong and are safe due to the resourceful engagement when riding the system.
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 - Systemwide Law Enforcement Overview February 2022
Attachment B - MTA Supporting Data February 2022
Attachment C - Transit Police Summary February 2022
Attachment D - Monthly, Bi-Annual, Annual Comparison February 2022
Attachment E - Violent, Prop, and Part 1 Crimes February 2022
Attachment F - Demographics Data February 2022
Attachment G - Bus Operator Assaults February 2022
Attachment H - Sexual Harassment Crimes February 2022
Attachment I - March 2, 2022, PSAC General Meeting Minutes
Attachment J - March 2, 2022, PSAC Public Safety Budget Survey Results
Attachment K - March 16, 2022, PSAC General Meeting Minutes
Attachment L - April 6, 2022, Public Safety Budget Recommendations
Prepared by
Prepared by: Aston Greene, Executive Officer, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213)922-2599
Imelda Hernandez, Manager, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-4848
Reviewed By
Reviewed by: Gina Osborn, Chief Safety Officer, (213) 922-3055
