Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
JUNE 27, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO MOTION 15.1 ENHANCING METRO’S MULTI-LAYERED PUBLIC SAFETY PRESENCE AND RESPONSE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE a report in response to Motion 15.1.
Issue
ISSUE
At its May 2024 Meeting, the Board approved Motion 15.1 (Attachment A) by Directors Horvath, Hahn, Dutra, Butts, Solis, and Barger, directing staff to invite the multi-agency law enforcement partners to report on public safety on the Metro system at its June meeting and for staff to provide a per-hour cost analysis for law enforcement personnel, transit security officers, private security, and transit ambassadors.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro has made significant financial investments to improve safety and the perception of safety on the transit system for its valued riders and hardworking frontline employees.
Metro’s FY24 Budget includes $194.1 million for contracts with its law enforcement partners - the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and Long Beach Police Department.
Since February 2022, Metro has also invested approximately $69.2 million to build out the ranks of homeless outreach and mental health professionals, community intervention workers, transit ambassadors, and transit security officers as it implemented a comprehensive multi-layered, care-first public safety program designed to address the serious societal issues that were at the root of much of the safety issues.
While overall crime rates have declined, there have been several instances of serious violent crimes and operator assaults over the past 90 days that have underscored the immediate need to better secure and increase visibility across the system.
In response to the Board’s request, this report provides a per-hour cost analysis of current safety resources to ensure the law enforcement contracts are realizing the expected performance results, achieving the intended level of coverage, and increasing the public’s confidence and trust in the system. It will also consider whether a more effective model is available to achieve optimal coverage and address ongoing safety concerns.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Motion 15.1 posed the question of what type of deployment model is sustainable given yearly increases in the cost of law enforcement contract services and the system's expansion.
Resources Cost Analysis - Current Service Level
Staff conducted an analysis of field personnel resources on the transit system to identify the hourly rate for each public safety layer. The table below represents the average FY24 “fully burdened” rates, which include a percentage for administrative costs and benefits, as well as overhead (e.g., materials, equipment, training, etc.).
As noted in Motion 15.1, the multi-agency law enforcement partners (LAPD, LASD, LBPD) have been invited to participate in a discussion about public safety on the Metro system at the June 2024 Board Meeting. Some of the discussion topics may include, but are not limited to, staffing and deployment levels, systemwide coverage and response times, interagency coordination, analysis of high-profile incidences, and efforts to provide a safe and comfortable riding experience.
Analysis to Inform the Development of Optimal Service Level
Metro is obligated to use its resources as effectively as possible while adhering to the Board approved Bias-Free Policing Policy and other anti-discrimination measures that limit the use and collection of crime data in specific ways. Therefore, combined methods were used to determine adjustments of resources and modifications to deployment areas.
Feedback from riders and social sentiment data indicated that our customers highly value the presence of safety resources on the system, a feeling of security, and effective homeless outreach. This encouraged us to aim for a balanced approach when assessing the best type of Metro safety presence (e.g., avoid a strong focus on just one type of service) throughout the system.
To complement transit user studies, surveys, and sentiment data, three crime datasets were chosen for this analysis: Top 20 Rail Stations by Crimes Against Persons, Top 2 Rail Lines by Crimes Against Persons, and Top 10 Bus Lines by Operator Assaults, covering the most recent date range available for all datasets. Deployment locations were chosen based on these datasets in order to maximize safety while also maximizing coverage for the greatest number of riders.
Metro staff believes that having a full-time security presence at these stations, rail lines, and bus lines would achieve significant secondary effects (i.e., a decrease of significant crimes in high-volume crime bus and rail areas; improved perception of passenger safety in these areas) that will provide positive benefits for the whole system, thus achieving a level of coverage optimal for current needs. Potential services that may be used to achieve optimal coverage and their associated costs are detailed in the next section.
The review of Current Deployments and hourly costs provides insight into strategies Metro can implement to address ongoing safety concerns and achieve optimal coverage agency-wide. As part of Metro’s multi-layered planned deployment, staff must consider several variables: the cost of each security service, its appropriateness for the task at hand, and the effectiveness of each deployment regarding coverage and flexibility to assign resources. While law enforcement capacity may be required to respond to violent crime incidents, day-to-day interactions on public transit may be more efficiently mitigated by less costly Metro internal or contracted security staff. For a discussion regarding the optimal service level, please see Scenario 2 Enhanced in the Transit Community Public Safety Department Implementation Plan.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro reaffirms its commitment to protecting its riders and employees by reviewing the current deployment of public safety resources and analyzing what is needed, including the costs, to achieve optimal coverage. When defining the “optimal” level of coverage of visibility and presence across the system, staff made sure to consider all areas served by Metro, especially since most areas are home to Equity Focus Communities. As the agency moves forward with its continued increase in daily planned deployments of uniformed personnel, it will use its public safety resources mindfully to address the ongoing safety concerns and share any significant changes in planned deployments with the Board and the public.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports Strategic Plan Goals #2.1: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system; Metro is committed to improving security; #5.2: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization; Metro will exercise good public policy judgment and sound fiscal stewardship; and #5.6: Foster and maintain a strong safety culture.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to monitor and strategically adjust its deployment of safety resources.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Board Motion 15.1
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Robert Gummer, Interim Deputy Chief, System Security and Law
Enforcement Officer, (213) 922-4513
Aldon Bordenave, Deputy Executive Officer, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-4507
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Kenneth Hernandez, Interim Chief Safety Officer, Chief Safety Officer,
(213) 922-2290
Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Customer Experience Office, (213) 940-4060
