Metro - File #: 2023-0661

• File #: 2023-0661
• Type: Informational Report
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 10/17/2023
• In control: Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee
• On agenda: 11/16/2023
• Title: RECEIVE AND FILE the Public Safety Report.
• Sponsors: Executive Management Committee
• Indexes: 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Accessibility, Assembly Bill 468, Barriers (Roads), Call For Projects, City of Los Angeles, Contracts, Customer Experience Plan, Downtown Santa Monica Station, Graffiti, Informational Report, Law enforcement, Long Beach Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, Los Angeles Union Station, Metro Rail A Line, Metro Rail B Line, Metro Rail D Line, Metro Rail E Line, Metro Transit Ambassadors, Plan, Safety, Safety and security, Santa Monica, Security, System safety, Transit buses, Transit safety, Westlake/Macarthur Park Station, Westside Cities subregion, Westside/Central Service Sector, Wilshire/Vermont Station

Meeting_Body

OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Subject

SUBJECT:                     MONTHLY UPDATE ON PUBLIC SAFETY

Action

ACTION:                     RECEIVE AND FILE

Heading

RECOMMENDATION

Title

RECEIVE AND FILE the Public Safety Report.

Issue
ISSUE

Metro is committed to providing outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system. In furtherance of the Vision 2028 Plan, Metro implemented a multi-faceted plan to improve safety and the perceptions of safety for both riders and employees. The following summarizes current initiatives aimed at accomplishing this objective and recent public safety trends.

Background

BACKGROUND

At its February 2022 meeting, the Board received and filed a Reimagining Public Safety Framework (Framework), which outlines a human-centered approach to public safety guided by the principle that everyone is entitled to a safe, dignified, and human experience. This Framework reflects Metro’s Public Safety Mission and Values statements, which were adopted by the Board in December 2021. In March 2023, the Board adopted a revised Code of Conduct, a Bias-Free Policing Policy, and a Public

Safety Analytics Policy.

These actions align with numerous initiatives to improve safety and the perception of safety on the system, including the increased, strategic, and layered deployment of personnel (comprised of customer-centered ambassadors and community intervention specialists, as well as transit security and law enforcement officers) and the piloting of safety and security interventions to address specific concerns (e.g., drug use and crime) on the system.

Discussion
DISCUSSION

System Security & Law Enforcement (SSLE) is responsible for overseeing safety initiatives on the Metro system and works in coordination with other departments, including Operations and Customer Experience, to implement strategies to advance this objective. The following is a snapshot of activities, as well as performance and outcome-related data for the month of September which is the most recent month for which systemwide law enforcement data is available.

DEPLOYMENTS AND TRENDS

Multi-Layered Deployment

On July 10, Metro established a multi-layered deployment utilizing all resources from the public safety ecosystem with applied lessons learned from the Drug-Free Campaign and Supplement Deployment, both of which were rolled out earlier this year. This strategic, proactive security model has had significant impact across the entire rail system, including end-of-line stations and mid-point (Focus) stations by decreasing the number of non-destination travelers who are required to leave the rail system at the end of the night when the system closes. The deployment was created by representatives and executives from all the Metro safety layers including Metro Transit Security, Metro Ambassadors, Social Service Outreach Teams, Contract Security and Law Enforcement, as well as deployment consultants, with equity, customer experience, and accountability in mind.

The following reflects the results of the deployment through the end of September and impacts on curtailing crime on the system.

Systemwide Crime Continues to Trend Downward

Systemwide ridership for the month of September reached a post-pandemic high of 24,671,730.  Overall systemwide Part 1 crimes (violent or major crime classification) declined by 17% (117 vs 141) when comparing August to September.  The decline was associated to a drop of 41.8% (32 vs 55) in aggravated assaults and 21.6% (29 vs 37) in robberies.  By mode, this correlates to a decrease of 6.4% (88 vs 94) on the rail system with specific declines in aggravated assaults of 37.1% and robberies of 15.4%. In addition, bus systemwide Part 1 crimes experienced a significant decrease of 38.3% (29 vs 47). This relates to a decrease of aggravated assaults by 50%, robberies by 36.4%, and operator aggravated assaults by 66.7%. This was attributed to the systemwide multi-layered public safety deployment that ensures only individuals for the purpose of transit are on the system. Furthermore, the decrease is attributed to the Metro Transit Security Bus Riding Teams riding the top 10 bus lines with the highest number of operator assaults.

Part 2 crimes (less serious crime classification) systemwide increased by 47.5% (295 vs 200) in comparison from August to September. The increase was a direct result of a significant rise of 145% (98 vs 40) in trespassing arrests, 26.2% (106 vs 84) in battery incidents, and 22% in narcotic arrests. The rail system Part 2 crimes triggered the significant increase in overall rail crime by 60.1% (229 vs 143).  This increase was based on trespassing arrests of 151% (98 vs 39), narcotics arrests of 37% (40 vs 29), and batteries of 34% (74 vs 55).

The substantial increase in the number of trespassing arrests is directly attributed to our increased focus on addressing trespassers both in our ancillary areas and on our system. For the ancillary areas, Contract Security began conducting sweeps a minimum of three times a day and contacting the Security Operations Center to coordinate law enforcement support for arrests and performed 22 ancillary trespasser removals for September. Another contributing factor to the increase in trespassing arrests includes the multi-layered roving teams comprised of law enforcement and Metro Transit Security conducting trespassing investigations on the system, inclusive of those found riding our system with no proof of fare. SSLE will continue to monitor trespassing crimes as we transition to a new Contract Security contract with proactive accountability at below grade coverage areas.  SSLE will also deploy an additional 87 contract security officers in support of the enhanced ancillary sweeps during the 10 p.m. - 6 a.m. shift for 24/7 coverage.  This may likely result in an initial increase in trespassing incidents and/or arrests as individuals attempt to shelter on the system, especially during the winter months. SSLE’s goal is to deter and work toward a 0% trespasser rate in all ancillary areas. 

Bus systemwide Part 2 crimes increased by 15.8%, which was associated with vandalism (7 vs 2), battery (32 vs 29), and battery on operator (11 vs 7) compared to August. 

Since our increased enforcement efforts began in April, overall crime is still sharply down across the system by 42.7%. This is despite September’s temporary increase in trespasser arrests over those in August (412 vs 341), which led to 20.8% month over month systemwide crime increase  All numbers are headed where we anticipated them going based on our deployment and enforcement strategies.

Arrest demographics have been steady over the last six months.  For September, arrests fell into the following demographic categories: 39% Black, 43% Hispanic, 2% Other, and 17% White.  

Law Enforcement

LAPD, LASD, and LBPD enforce the penal code on the system, including conducting trespass investigations. Ejections represent law enforcement engagements during trespass investigations in which an individual is removed after it’s determined they did not possess a Tap Card or pay fare to access the rail or bus system. The below charts depict the totality of law enforcement efforts in support of the multi-layered deployment, including homeless outreach.

*Law enforcement citations and warnings are not related to fare, but for trespassing, loitering, and moving violations.

*LAPD’s HOPE team defines accepting services as when the individual agrees to accept, or requests assistance. This includes placing them in direct contact with a service provider, physically transporting an individual to a shelter that has services available, obtaining emergency medical services, or placing the individual on a mental health hold.

*LASD MET team defines accepted services when a person accepts referrals to shelters, rehabs, or is connected to LAHSA or PATH.

*Long Beach Quality of Life (QOL) leads a “Shelter the Unsheltered” initiative with PATH assisting in the morning hours. QOL works with PATH to coordinate services for those experiencing homelessness.

Transit Security

The primary role of Metro Transit Security’s (MTS) in the multi-layered deployment is code of conduct enforcement. The month of September saw a gradual decrease in citations and written warnings when compared to the month of August. From September 1 to September 30, MTS officers issued 207 citations and written warnings. Of those, 204 (99%) were due to individuals failing to provide proof of fare. The remaining citations and written warnings issued in September were for the following code of conduct violations: Disruptive Activities, Smoking/Vaping or Use of Alcohol, and the Six-Feet Length limit (Bicycles or other wheeled riding devices over six (6) feet long are prohibited). MTS also issued 1,901 verbal warnings during the month of September. 

Operator Safety

In September 2023, operator assaults decreased by 7% compared to August 2023 (13 vs 14).  Spitting on the operator and using hands (punch/slap) were the top two methods of assault.  Of the 13 assaults, 8 were reported to have a bus barrier in use 62%).  Two of the assaults occurred outside of the bus, one assault occurred as the bus operator was walking back into the bus, and two were reported as unknown if a bus barrier was used. No patterns or trends were identified.

The rate of assaults in September is consistent with the monthly averages in 2023, although higher than historical averages over the past six years as shown in Figure A.  The type of assaults that occurred in September are summarized in Figure B.

Figure A: Bus/Rail Operator Assaults Year to Year Comparison

Figure B: Methods of Assault

Bus Riding Teams

SSLE continues to rotate its Transit Security Bus Riding Teams across the top 10 bus lines with reported incidents of operator assaults, to enforce Code of Conduct violations. In September, there were three (3) Transit Security Bus Riding Teams, with one team deployed at each of the three (3) shifts, across the five service areas of Metro’s bus system.  The following table illustrates their deployment for September and number of trips. 

An additional four teams will be deployed in October and the remaining two teams by Spring 2024, with a grand total of 9 teams. The MTS teams are augmented with the support of law enforcement. For September, there were 9,612 bus boardings by LAPD officers and 9,180 bus boardings by LASD deputies.

Staff continuously reviews crime stats to identify potential trends and patterns to inform deployment strategies to reduce crime on the bus system and help decrease and prevent bus operator assaults. In addition, staff engages with bus operators from all 10 bus divisions at monthly RAP sessions to obtain feedback on lines and geographical areas where bus operators have safety concerns.

ACTIVITIES

Narcan Deployment

In March, Transit Security Officers were trained on how to administer Narcan. Between March and September 2023, Metro Transit Security Officers have deployed Narcan a total of 38 times.

Public Facing Dashboard Update

As reported last month, SSLE is in the final development stages of its public facing dashboard that will house public safety data. On October 17, the CEO’s Office and Customer Experience (CX) reviewed a draft of the dashboard and provided feedback. The SSLE Analytics Unit and ITS are currently incorporating all feedback received to ensure data is displayed in a clear and concise format to be easily understood by the public.  Additionally, ITS is utilizing web developer services to support delivery of the dashboard.  SSLE will present the updated dashboard to the CEO’s Office and CX for final review and approval by mid-November.  

Emergency Management Update

In September, the Emergency Management Department (EMD) facilitated Metro’s observance of National Preparedness Month, providing resources and tools for Metro Employees to better prepare for natural and human-made disasters.  In support of this observance, Metro’s Employee Personal Preparedness Guide was disseminated to all Metro employees.  In collaboration with Communications weekly emails, specific preparedness themes were distributed to all personnel to inspire and encourage development of their home and family emergency plans.

During the month of September, EMD was invited to present on Metro’s emergency preparedness and response to two Advisory Committees.  Information was shared about emergency evacuations and system accessibility during emergencies with Metro’s Accessibility Advisory Committee on September 14.  On September 27, an overview of Metro’s planning, preparedness and response for large-scale special events was presented to Metro’s Community Advisory Committee.

On September 26, EMD conducted a Full-scale Exercise (FSE) on the E-Line West at the Downtown Santa Monica Station. The Exercise scenario was a “Fire on the train at the station”.  There were 60 participants including personnel from several Metro departments: EMD, Rail Operations, and Corporate Safety along with external agency partners; LA Sherrif’s Department, Santa Monica’s Fire and Police Departments, and McCormick Ambulance.  All 20 volunteers were successfully evacuated and treated.  There was excellent communication and coordination between the responding agencies.  This was the first exercise in Santa Monica since 2018 and received great feedback from all participating stakeholders and the Santa Monica Daily Press on September 27. 

                     CUSTOMER COMMENTS

Call Center Comments

Customer comments related to Passenger Conduct remain the highest public safety category across April through September. This is followed by Rail General Security Concern and General Security Concern comments with 46 and 18, respectively, in September. SSLE will highlight top themes from comments submitted to the Call Center and collaborate with its public safety partners to address as part of the multi-layered deployment.

Transit Watch (TW) App

Transit Watch app reports related to safety and/or criminal elements for the month of September totaled 1,583, which is an increase of 6.5% compared to August.  In September, SSLE encouraged its law enforcement partners and contract security to utilize the TW application for reporting. This resulted in a 2.7% (87) increase in TW reports. The Security Operations Center’s Security Control Specialists response times decreased by 20% from August (5.45 minutes) to September (4.39 minutes). 

The top 3 areas of increased reporting were 40% in suspicious activity, 39% in graffiti, and 9.8% in persons in need, while the smoking/alcohol/drug category maintained the highest report for consecutive months with September totaling 568 reports.  Of the 508 graffiti incidents captured, Ambassadors reported 73% (371) of these occurrences which were subsequently provided to law enforcement through SSLE. 

The top 3 locations reporting graffiti were Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station (24), Lincoln Height/Cypress Park station (22), and Pico station (20).  For suspicious activity, the top 3 locations were Westlake/MacArthur Park (11), Union Station (7), and Wilshire/Vermont (7). 

SSLE will coordinate with the multi-layered public safety resources to develop strategies in identifying and addressing repeat offenders. Additionally, there was a 10% decline in customer reports of fights/disturbances, non-sexual harassment, and sexual harassment nonphysical.

METRO AMBASSADOR PROGRAM UPDATE

A Metro Ambassador’s job is to support our riders, connect riders to resources, and report incidents or maintenance needs. Metro Ambassadors were deployed on the A Line, B Line, C Line, D Line, K Line, J Line, as well as bus lines 210, 40, 20, and 720.

Ambassadors were certified and equipped to carry and administer Narcan in April 2023. For the month of September 2023, Metro Ambassadors reported 11 Narcan incidents:

•                     (4) incidents at WLMP

•                     (2) incidents at Union Station

•                     (1) incident at Wilshire/Vermont Station

•                     (1) incident at Historic Broadway Station

•                     (1) incident at 7th Street/Metro Center Station

•                     (1) incident at Civic Center/Grand Park Station

•                     (1) incident at Irwindale Station

By the numbers

For the month of September 2023, Metro Ambassadors conducted 53,694 customer interactions and reported the following:

•                     881 Cleanliness Issues

•                     278 Graffiti Incidents

•                     262 Elevator and Escalator Problems

•                     209 Safety Issues 

Equity Platform

EQUITY PLATFORM

Metro continues to implement a multi-layered public safety model that takes a cross-disciplinary approach to address the various safety needs of the system, such as providing personnel with the proper equipment to address the social issues seen in the system. Providing Transit Security Officers and Ambassadors with Narcan has been impactful in addressing drug use on the system, particularly on the B (Red) Line and in Equity Focus Communities. Staff will continue to train front-line personnel to address the diverse safety needs of the system. Lastly, Metro Transit Security continues to deploy bus riding teams on bus lines to support operators, help curtail operator assaults and enhance the customer experience.

Next Steps
NEXT STEPS

SSLE continues to monitor our law enforcement partners, private security, and Transit Security Officer performance, monitor crime stats, and consider information from surveys, customer complaints, and physical security assessments, amongst other sources, to analyze safety-related issues, adjust deployment strategies, and formulate new interventions.

Attachments

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A - Arrests Demographics September 2023

Attachment B - Total Crime Summary September 2023

Attachment C - Systemwide Law Enforcement Overview September 2023

Attachment D - MTA Supporting Data September 2023

Attachment E - Bus & Rail Operator Assaults September 2023

Attachment F - Sexual Harassment Crimes September 2023

Prepared by

Prepared by: Vanessa Smith, Executive Officer, Customer Experience, (213) 922-7009

Robert Gummer, Deputy Executive Officer, Administration, (213) 922-4513

Imelda Hernandez, Senior Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 922-4848

Reviewed By

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

Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Customer Experience Office, (213) 940-4060