Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MAY 21, 2020
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
This report reflects March 2020 performance data as reported under the transit policing deployment strategy which is a combination of in-house fare compliance officers, private security for fixed assets and a multi-agency law enforcement deployment strategy by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), and Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). In addition, the report highlights initiatives from the System Security and Law Enforcement department and its efforts to create a safer environment for Metro employees and a safer experience for Metro customers.
BACKGROUND
The System Security and Law Enforcement (SSLE) department entered into a multi-agency policing partnership in 2017 to increase the number of police on the Metro system to provide a greater, more visible “felt presence” of police to help deter criminal activity on Metro buses and trains.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
DEPLOYMENT ANALYSIS AND FORMULA DEVELOPMENT
SSLE, in partnership with the Information Technology department, is in the process of developing a layered map of our law enforcement partners deployments using ESRI’s mapping software. This will allow staff to have a snapshot view of where resources are allocated and make immediate reallocations when needed.
Lastly, our Physical Security team is also currently assessing all contract security assignments to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY
The Survey Team continues to meet bi-weekly to make progress in launching a National Crime Victimization Survey for Metro. Most recently, the team met on April 22nd to discuss feedback from management. Staff has started testing the draft survey on mobile phones to assess its functionality. Through testing, staff has identified technical issues, by which the Survey Team will work with their consultant to address them. The Survey Team expects to have a complete survey available for a test run by May 2020 and hopes not to have any delays, amid challenges posed by COVID-19. The approximate cost of the survey that was provided by the Survey Team is $905,500.
LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRACT COMPLIANCE
Mobile Phone Validators
In the most recent meeting with Axiom and TAP, on April 15th, 2020, all enhanced map features listed under Modification No. 8, were in working order. The three features that Axiom presented to the Metro SS&LE Compliance Staff were as follows: location, officer, and all officer searches.
• Location searching was tethered to Google Maps and worked so long as the location was searchable (i.e. North Hollywood Station), however it could not locate more ambiguous addresses such as bus stops. TAP personnel advised that the search function could be altered to accept latitude and longitude coordinates.
• Officer searching was bound to officer name or device asset tag, as well as a specific date range and time bracket. Once all fields were identified, the system could generate a visual path of points where the Officer/Deputy moved in a given timeframe. SS&LE personnel inquired whether or not these points represented physical locations (particularly useful for teams that ride from station to station), however Axiom and TAP personnel both advised that the path taken was an approximate and the pings along the displayed path marked the point in time in which the database was updated using their geolocating technology. Thus, it was deemed useful for knowing a general path but not an exact station-to-station summary of events; for now, this will need to be supplemented by employee TAP card data.
• All Officer searching was exactly like the Officer search, only it showed all Officers/Deputies at a physical location and their path trajectories therein. This was deemed by the SS&LE Compliance Staff to be counterintuitive and would cause too much interplay because of the sheer volume of devices at major hubs such as Union Station, and the fact that Officers/Deputies are often paired which would mean that many trajectories would intersect at once to clutter the map. In the versions of all three of these search options no date range was searchable, only a single date; SS&LE Compliance Staff explained that because details go over 24 hours, a date range option is a necessity.
In service of the final critique of the new map features, SS&LE compliance personnel advised that Group searching would be more valuable to the compliance process. This new searching format would allow the administrator to search by Group name (i.e. LAPD, LASD, or LBPD), which would significantly narrow down the amount of clutter on a given map. Axiom agreed to add Group as well as date range searching to the Map features. Axiom stated that they will continue to perform software debugging, with the intent to launch the enhanced map features during the week of May 4, 2020. Important to note, Axiom’s current software does not allow real-time monitoring of law enforcement personnel.
TRANSIT SECURITY HIRING EFFORTS
Current Staffing Levels
As of 4/20/20:
|
Job Title |
# Budgeted |
# Filled |
Vacancies |
Capacity |
|
Transit Security LT |
5 |
5 |
0 |
100.00% |
|
Transit Security SGT |
12 |
11 |
1 |
91.67% |
|
SR Transit Security OFCR |
15 |
13 |
2 |
86.67% |
|
Transit Security OFCR II |
75 |
74 |
1 |
98.67% |
|
Transit Security OFCR I |
77 |
63 |
14 |
81.82% |
|
TOTAL |
184 |
166 |
18 |
90.22% |
Hiring Plan
Our recruiting efforts resumed the second half of March with posting a job bulletin for Transit Security Officer I. In the five days it was open, 410 applications were received and after the Human Resources’ auto screening, 374 applications remain. This remaining group will be grouped into three groups in order to effectively and efficiently manage the hiring process.
Currently, our recruitment has been placed on hold due to circumstances related to COVID-19. However, we have been working with Human Resources on overcoming challenges presented by the COVID-19 situation and are confident we can continue the hiring process without compromising the integrity of the selection process.
Transit Security Sergeant, Senior Officer, and Transit Security Officer II recruitments were submitted for approval. If approved, Transit Security and Human Resources are prepared to move forward.
With regards to the last recruitment cycle we have 4 candidates waiting for approval to be sent to medical examination, which is the last step of the recruitment process.
Training Program
Class 17 is the first group of recruits to attend the newly developed Metro Academy Program (M A P). This new program has increased the number of training hours from Class 15 (October 2018) of 80 hours to Class 16 (July 2019) of 213 hours to 313 hours to improve the overall quality of our recruits. Class 17 consisted of 8 TSO I recruits and 1 Lieutenant. Class 17 commenced on March 9, 2020 and all recruits have successfully completed 149 hours out of 313 total hours of training as of April 3rd, 2020. There are still 164 hours of training that have not been completed. Due to the impact of COVID-19, there are several classes that could not be facilitated at this time. Class 17 has obtained enough training to be deployed in the field. The remainder of M A P classes will be scheduled once the pandemic has been cleared. This will allow Class 17 to meet Metro’s new, enhanced training philosophy.
Certifications /Qualifications:
All recruits have either obtained or renewed mandatory credentials or received refresher trainings. Our recruits satisfy all CA State requirements to work and are already more highly trained than industry standards. Almost all the recruits have had several years of security experience and are ready for On the Job (OJT) training with an experienced TSO in the field and the Lieutenant is a retired LASD Lieutenant.
On the Job Training
The first day of OJT was April 6th, 2020 but due to one of the recruits becoming ill that week, all recruits in Class 17 were quarantined from April 13th thru the 26th. They are scheduled to return to work beginning April 27th, 2020.
BUS OPERATOR ASSAULTS
In March, there was a total of 7 assaults on bus operators, with 6 assaults occurring in LAPD’s jurisdiction and 1 assault occurring in LASD’s jurisdiction. Of the 7 assaults, 3 suspects used their hands, 3 suspects spit, and 1 suspect used an umbrella as their method of assault.
Five of the assaults occurred on the bus system, different lines, and the remaining two occurred on the rail system, the Gold Line and Purple Line. Three of the suspects were females and four of the suspects were males. One of the suspects was in her 20’s, two of the suspects were in their 30’s, and four suspects were between the ages of 41 and 62. Six of the seven suspects were homeless, five were arrested, and one showed signs of mental illness.
Data provided by LASD show that from July 2019 to March 2020, 45% of the bus operator assault incidents were solved. During this period, only bus line 864 had more than one incident, which had two. Line 864 was the A (Blue) Line bus shuttle that was operating during construction. Both incidents occurred in July 2019. There were no other trends to report aside from these two incidents.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COVID-19 RESONSE
The Emergency Management Department (EMD) has continued to support Metro’s Incident Management Team in the Agency’s response to COVID-19. EMD activated Metro’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) starting March 10, 2020, and began coordination of daily Command Staff meetings, intelligence briefings and communication with local government and transit partners on regional response, best practices and real-time lessons learned during this incident.
EMD has implemented a Duty Officer Program, with 24/7 availability to aid Metro employees with any questions regarding Metro’s COVID-19 response, COVID-19 case tracking and reporting, and all incident related assistance or inquiries for information. Metro’s EOC has facilitated and/or provided guidance in notifications to staff, acquiring of emergency supplies, funding regulations & expense reimbursement strategies, safety protocols, regional transit communications (Joint Information Center), and requests from LA County and City EOCs.
Since March 10, 2020 the Emergency Management Department has facilitated the following for COVID-19 response activities:
• 33 Command Staff Meetings
• Over 75 Duty Officer calls
• 38 Command Staff Public Health Intelligence Briefs
• 33 Operational Periods of EOC Activation
• Activated Emergency Supply Shed Distributions to provide extra PPE
• Implemented Temperature Camera Pilot Program
• Maintain direct communication with APTA & DHS/TSA/CISA COVID-19 Planning Groups
HOMELESS OUTREACH SERVICES
COVID-19 Metro Operation: Shelter the Unsheltered
• The total number of persons experiencing homelessness placed in shelter (motels, recreation centers) from April 1st to April 27, 2020 is 273.
• P.A.T.H. provides motel shelter to vulnerable homeless populations (elderly, women, women with children, handicapped, veterans) in motels. March’s motel expenditure was $50,496.00.
• P.A.T.H. Outreach Teams continue to work collaboratively with law enforcement partners to move persons experiencing homelessness to recreation center shelters via Metro and Department of Transportation buses.
• PATH teams, under law enforcement leadership, deploy daily throughout the system with special attention to the following hot spots:
o Union Station
o 7th/Metro
o North Hollywood
o Expo/Bundy
• PATH teams have access to a nurse through LA Christian Health on Mondays from 7a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
COVID-19 Education
• Law enforcement are stationed at Union Station entrances to educate the general public (independent of appearance) on travel restrictions, essential vs non-essential travel, and reinforce Safer-at-Home guidelines.
• Law enforcement’s role with the COVID-19 virus is to advise and inform.
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
To increase the availability of resources to the homeless community that interfaces with Metro’s system, we are pursuing collaboration with Public Private Partnerships through:
• Community-based organizations within faith communities with homeless programs in place
• Task Force meetings with business (Chambers of Commerce); diverse size non-profit agencies, universities, Research & Development Centers
• Neighborhood Councils
The Dream Center
The Letter of Agreement between LA Metro and The Dream Center continues to be reviewed by their legal counsel, as well as reviewed by Metro’s Risk Management Department. Rapport is being established via conference calls. An update on the status of the Letter of Agreement will be included in the forthcoming monthly report.
L.A. DOOR Pilot Program
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pilot outreach program at Union Station and MacArthur Park stations is temporarily on hold. Based on all directives related to the pandemic, leadership will advise on when the pilot program can resume.
7-Day Homeless Count
The 7-day system-wide homeless count is planned to begin when COVID-19 directives to shelter-in-place sanctions are lifted. The use of a video presentation to announce the Count is in the planning stages with Metro’s Marketing and IT departments.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT INITIATIVES
SSLE is in the final stages of development of the new Sexual Harassment training for our law enforcement partners and Metro Transit Security. The new Sexual Harassment program will be ready to launch by June 1st with a social media campaign.
Staff will report back next month with an update.
PEACE OVER VIOLENCE PERFORMANCE MARCH 2020 METRICS
|
Performance Measure |
Number Served |
|
Total Sexual Harassment Cases Contacting POV |
4 |
|
Total Cases of Metro Located Sexual Harassment Contacting POV |
2 |
|
Total Number of Metro Riders Requesting Counseling Services |
1 |
|
Total Number of Police Reports Filed or Intended to File |
1 |
|
Total Number of Active Cases |
1 |
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - System-Wide Law Enforcement Overview March 2020
Attachment B - MTA Supporting Data March 2020
Attachment C - Key Performance Indicators March 2020
Attachment D - Transit Police Summary March 2020
Attachment E - Homeless Update March 2020
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Jimmy Abarca, Senior Administrative Analyst, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-2615
Reviewed_by
Reviewed by: Bob Green, Chief System Security and Law Enforcement Officer, (213) 922-4811
