Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
NOVEMBER 17, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: MONTHLY UPDATE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE Public Safety Report.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro’s main priority is providing riders with a safe experience and work environment for employees. As noted in the 2021 Public Safety Survey, safety is a top concern for riders - about four-in-ten respondents who have reduced their Metro ridership cited concerns about their safety (not related to COVID) as a reason. Metro is researching, listening, reassessing current safety programs, and launching new safety initiatives. This report provides a status update on these public safety initiatives.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro's mission is to provide a world-class transportation system that enhances the quality of life for everyone living, working, and playing in LA County. Metro has implemented several non-law enforcement initiatives to improve public safety and provide riders with the tools to report crime and foster an environment where they are empowered to look out for themselves and each other. The Chief Safety Office continues to incorporate information from surveys, customer complaints, and physical security assessments, amongst others, to analyze a wide array of safety-related issues. Using this information, Metro will formulate solutions to problems, anticipate future issues, and develop programs and initiatives for areas needing improvement.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The Chief Safety Office is responsible for the public safety program’s strategic and cohesive deployment. Through agency collaboration, the focus is to increase a safety presence on the system, protecting Metro riders, employees, and infrastructure and conducting fare and code enforcement. Furthermore, the Chief Safety Office oversees safety programs and tools such as the Respect the Ride pilot, the Transit Watch app, and other efforts that are responsive to the security needs of riders and employees. The following initiatives outline the status of existing programs and the research efforts for new initiatives.
RESPECT THE RIDE
Respect the Ride was recently expanded to the Hollywood/Highland Station on September 26, 2022. This deployment is expected to last 30 days; updates on this deployment will be reflected in next month’s report. Furthermore, as we prepared for the opening of the K Line, Transit Security Officers were reassigned from Union Station to 7th/Metro, and officers at 7th/Metro were assigned to support the K-Line. To help identify the impact of Respect the Ride at the Hollywood/Highland Station, we looked at crime at this station from 8/29/2022 to 9/25/2022 (four weeks prior to Respect the Ride) and compared it to crime at this station from 9/26/2022 to 10/23/2022 (when the program launched). Our analysis found that crime dropped from three (3) crimes to two (2) crimes during these two periods, with the most significant reduction occurring in robberies which went down from three to zero during these periods.
Bus Officers Pilot
Since the launch of the Respect the Ride Bus Officers pilot on August 31st, staff identified the top ten most challenging lines. As a result, the Bus Operator Safety detail has been focusing its efforts on gradually launching on those lines and ensuring the safety of the bus operators and transit riders by providing high visibility presence inside the bus with a zero-tolerance posture for all applicable municipal, state and federal laws.
To date, the Bus Riding teams have completed line rides on five of the top ten bus lines identified, this includes the Vermont Corridor and Western Corridor. The joint Bus Riding Teams have successfully ensured fare compliance during passenger boardings and that passengers adhere to the Code of Conduct while on the bus. As a result, bus operator feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The primary request from Operators is that bus riding efforts continue. SSLE staff will continue to attend RAP sessions to engage Bus Operators and obtain additional feedback regarding bus lines where Respect the Ride should expand.
PHYSICAL SECURITY
Security Operations Center (SOC)
As last month's report mentioned, the SOC serves as the coordination center for Transit Security Department’s task management and workflow. The SOC is currently being upgraded and reconfigured to improve its operational functionality, increase value to the Chief Safety Office, streamline current operations, and enhance its capability to provide connectivity, safety, and security to the Transit Security Officers and Metro staff.
In October, SSLE met with its project stakeholders to identify the final requirements, estimates, and equipment. In addition, network switches were ordered, Facilities Maintenance is searching Union Station Gateway’s furniture inventory, SSLE has selected the monitors for the video wall, and the drawings and cost estimates are being finalized.
BriefCam/Genetec Update
We have dedicated an additional 115 cameras into our BriefCam/Genetec platform to aid in identifying vandalism incidents on our system. The following four (4) B Line stations are located within or adjacent to Equity Focus Communities and have been integrated into our analytic platform:
• 7th & Metro Station
• Pershing Square
• Wilshire/Vermont
• Wilshire/Normandie
On October 25th-26th, Physical Security hosted an instructor-led Briefcam training for law enforcement, SSLE, and MTS personnel. The training provided in-depth knowledge about the BriefCam solution and its overall functionality.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Mandated Surface Transportation Security Training Program (STP) is a training requirement specified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 49 Part 1500 and 1570. This requires Metro to train all Security Sensitive Personnel (SSP) on responding to transit terrorism, attacks, and other emergencies. This also establishes requirements for ongoing training and compliance. The training program was completed in October, and it’s being delivered through Metro’s e-Learning portal. The goal is to train all SSP by December 31, 2022.
EMD coordinated the agency-wide participation in The Great California ShakeOut annual earthquake drill. All locations requested employees drop, cover, and hold on for 60 seconds in accordance with the statewide drill. Metro bus and rail vehicles also stopped, if safe to do so, for 20-30 seconds at the start of the drill to simulate their response to an earthquake. They also notified passengers to provide awareness of Metro’s emergency procedures.
Lastly, EMD participated in the 2022 Bus Roadeo, providing emergency preparedness information, planning guides, and vehicle safety tools to Metro employees and their families to support a safe and resilient workforce.
OPERATOR SAFETY
Bus/Rail Operator Assaults and Bus Boardings
In September, there were a total of six (6) assaults on bus/rail operators, with four (4) assaults occurring in LASD’s jurisdiction and two (2) assaults occurring in LAPD’s jurisdiction. Furthermore, there were 22,099 bus boardings by LAPD officers and 3,299 bus boardings by LASD deputies.
Bus operator assaults in LAPD’s jurisdiction decreased significantly in September in comparison to August (a 78% decrease from nine to two) as well as in comparison to prior months. This decrease can be attributed to the bus boardings and interactions that Transit Services Division’s Bus Riding Team officers are actively having with bus patrons at the previously identified problem locations.
UPDATES ON SAFETY PROGRAMS
Transit Security Training Program
SSLE is reassessing Metro Transit Security’s training program to ensure customer experience and mental health/de-escalation programs are included. We recently completed Terrorism Awareness training for all of the Transit Security Officers. We will engage with LA County’s Department of Mental Health, FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit and psychologists to develop mental health and de-escalation training. We will look at the possibility of identifying a TSO who can provide "train the trainer" courses on a quarterly basis to all the TSOs.
Radios
On October 5th, SSLE held a virtual meeting with national transit agencies, including WMATA, BART, and NJ Transit, to discuss their solutions to communications problems. WMATA advised that they use the Wave Communications application to overcome tunnel communications challenges. SSLE will test the application to determine if it can provide a short-term solution.
.Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The SSLE department is in the process of expanding the training curriculum for all Transit Security Officers. To ensure we are addressing the various security needs encountered on the system, our officers must be trained in areas such as implicit bias and mental health. These efforts will position our riders to receive the assistance they need to create a safe system for all.
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 September 2022
Attachment B - MTA Supporting Data September 2022
Attachment C - Transit Police Summary September 2022
Attachment D - Monthly, Bi-Annual, Annual Comparison September 2022
Attachment E - Violent, Prop, and Part 1 Crimes September 2022
Attachment F - Demographics Data September 2022
Attachment G - Bus & Rail Operator Assaults September 2022
Attachment H - Sexual Harassment Crimes September 2022
Prepared by
Prepared by: William Peterson, Deputy Executive Officer, System Security & Law Enforcement, (213)922-4515
Robert Gummer, Deputy Executive Officer, Administration, (213)922-4513
Imelda Hernandez, Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 922-4848
Reviewed By
Reviewed by: Gina Osborn, Chief Safety Officer, Chief Safety Office, (213) 922-3055
