Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
MAY 15, 2025
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 transportation system users. In furtherance of the Vision 2028 Plan, Metro implemented a multi-faceted plan to improve both safety outcomes and safety perceptions for riders and employees. The following summarizes current initiatives to accomplish this objective and recent public safety trends.
Background
BACKGROUND
Within Metro’s Public Safety Mission statement, the agency recognizes that every individual is entitled to a safe, dignified, and humane experience. In March 2023, the Board adopted a revised Code of Conduct, a Bias-Free Policing Policy, and a Public Safety Analytics Policy to avert racial profiling and bias in the deployment of Metro security and contract law enforcement services. In 2024, Metro enhanced its public safety model further by adopting a three-pronged strategy consisting of 1) increasing the engaged and visible presence of uniformed personnel, 2) improving access control to ensure the system is being used only for its intended purpose of transit, and 3) strengthening partnerships to address societal issues with the County, cities, regional agencies, and nonprofit partners to address homelessness, untreated mental illness, drug addiction, and crime. The actions described in this report align with numerous initiatives to improve safety and the perception of safety on the system.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
System Security & Law Enforcement (SSLE) is responsible for overseeing safety initiatives on the Metro system, working in coordination with other departments, including Operations and Customer Experience. SSLE forms the foundation of Metro’s comprehensive approach to safety and security, focused specifically on protecting customers and employees by mitigating against crime and other societal issues on the system, enforcing Metro’s Code of Conduct, ensuring the safety and hard security of Metro’s facilities, directing the deployment of law enforcement and private security presence throughout the system, and proactively identifying and addressing other areas of possible concern.
The following is a snapshot of activities, performance, and outcome-related data for March, the most recent month for which systemwide law enforcement data is available.
OVERVIEW
The following bullets are an overview of some quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators (KPIs) for Metro’s public safety and security priorities. As SSLE strives to continually improve and more accurately measure the impact of its initiatives, beginning next month, staff will be refocusing on reporting efforts and related activities around the following strategic directions of the three-pronged approach:
1) the effectiveness of Metro’s engaged and visible presence of uniformed personnel by measuring the average number of trips taken before a crime occurs and customer surveys,
2) the effectiveness of Metro’s access control improvements by measuring the number of non-fare evasion trespassing arrests and customer feedback, and
3) the effectiveness of partnerships in addressing societal issues by measuring the total number of people sheltered by the HOME teams over the course of each month and customer comments.
Additionally, staff will report on a metric evaluating rider safety through efforts to mitigate against major accidents or catastrophic events. Safety improvement and crime mitigation strategic responses to KPI trends will be included in subsequent sections. See additional KPIs below:
• Metro ridership increased by 2.44% in March compared to the same month of the previous year (26,511,392 boardings vs. 25,880,698 boardings). This marked the 28th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth.
• Crimes Against Persons (violent crimes) systemwide increased by 19.2% in March 2025 compared to February (180 vs. 151). This was due to a notable rise in aggravated assaults (54 vs. 28), occurring mid-month before declining, viewed as a temporary fluctuation without systemic drivers.
• Crimes Against Property fell 20.8% (61 vs. 77), driven by fewer thefts (39 vs. 53). Compared to last month, property crime decreased on rail and bus. This significant drop is attributed to improved information sharing among law enforcement, Contract Security, and Metro Transit Security at weekly meetings and increased security presence.
• Crimes Against Society increased by 44.3% in March 2025 compared to the previous month (352 vs. 244). Metro continues its efforts on access control through the TAP-to-Exit Pilot and end-of-line offloading by Contract Security, which has led to the observed increase this month. More details can be found in the Systemwide Crime Stats section below.
CUSTOMER COMMENTS
Metro believes in continuously listening to and learning from customer feedback. Using various sources, including comments submitted to Metro’s social media accounts, the Transit Watch app, and the Call Center, staff assessed the public sentiment of the Metro system. SSLE’s Data Analytics team monitors general sentiment, while specific and actionable security concerns raised by customers are reported during weekly calls with security and maintenance teams for awareness and strategy development. Any customer comment referencing criminal activity is forwarded to law enforcement for a follow-up with the customer to investigate the incident and file a crime report.
The number of security-related reports submitted slightly decreased month-over-month from February to March, from 3,753 to 3,638. The Security Operations Center’s Security Control Specialists continue to meet the FY25 SSLE target response time of 120 seconds, with a response time of 24 seconds in March. This target response time ensures a faster process for determining the proper response and dispatch of resources, improving calls for service response times on the system.
Overall Sentiment and Engagement
Public sentiment on safety and security is assessed by analyzing social media (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, Reddit) and Transit Watch reports from Ambassadors, Contract Security, and Law Enforcement. Thus, the monthly sentiment data may be biased.
In March, the overall sentiment about safety and security was slightly more negative than the previous month, influenced mainly by posts related to drug use on the system. The Facilities/Infrastructure topic remained the most discussed, driven by a high volume of Transit Watch incidents from Ambassadors and the public. Metro’s MTS, LAPD, LASD, Contract Security, and Ambassadors are equipped with Narcan and administer it as needed to individuals experiencing symptoms of an overdose (refer to Attachment A for more details). In terms of mitigating against drug use more generally, SSLE continuously reviews various sources of data to adjust deployments of uniformed personnel. More details are included in the Deployment section of this report.
Just as in the prior month, the most positive comments were about the system's visible security presence, highlighting visible security in stations.
• On Reddit, a rider complimented Metro police officers for checking everyone’s TAP cards and being more visible on the A Line.
• On Instagram, a Metro post about the G Line Improvements Project generated positive engagement, with many people leaving positive comments about bus safety and reliability improvements.
Like previous months, Metro’s Facilities/Infrastructure garnered the most mentions, at 7,294 mentions, a 5.91% decrease compared to February (7,752 mentions).
When discussing safety and security at specific Metro stations:
• Union Station generated the most mentions this month.
• 7th Street/Metro Center Station generated the second-most overall engagement, followed by Crenshaw Station.
Most Common Customer Concerns
To assess the most common customer concerns from the public, Metro looked at incidents submitted through the Transit Watch app by the public. The three most reported types of incidents are property crime related to graffiti, smoking/alcohol/drugs, and fights or disturbances. In March, property crime reports related to graffiti accounted for the most incidents at 33%. Below are the top three locations for each incident type:
1. Graffiti - Sierra Madre Villa Station, Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station, and LATTC/Ortho Institute Station
2. Smoking/Alcohol/Drugs - 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Reseda Station, and Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station
3. Fights or Disturbances - 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Pico Station, and Pershing Square Station
Metro continuously works to identify ways to address customer feedback and concerns. Metro Transit Security and Contract Security train riding teams continue to enforce and provide education on Metro’s Code of Conduct. In the past, LAPD and other law enforcement partners have redeployed officers from bus riding teams to rail lines in response to increases in Crimes Against Persons. The figure below illustrates the augmented rail boardings and fare checks over the past quarter.
Rider reports continue to highlight recurring issues related to graffiti and Code of Conduct violations (e.g., smoking, alcohol, and drug use) along the A, B, C, and E lines. In response to the feedback, these observations are shared during weekly meetings between public safety partners, and security patrols are adjusted at stations with the highest observations. Staff will continue to explore best practices such as messaging and awareness campaigns, education, and video analytics to address these concerns systemwide. Metro will review the data over the coming months to see if the changes in deployment are yielding declines in each type of incident. More details on deployment are provided in the section below.
ENGAGED & VISIBLE DEPLOYMENT
The following are Metro’s public safety personnel's deployment activities for March, which are intended to promote the safe access and usage of the transit system, as well as prevent and reduce crime or other societal issues within the system.
Law Enforcement
LAPD, LASD, and LBPD enforce the penal code on the system, including conducting trespass investigations. The table below represents law enforcement’s efforts for March to enforce the penal code on the system, noting that March was the last month LBPD provided coverage on the Metro system.
In March, the three law enforcement agencies made 514 arrests and issued 765 citations. Law enforcement citations and warnings are not related to fare evasion but are given for trespassing, loitering, and moving violations. Details on the demographics of individuals arrested can be found in Attachment B. Law enforcement’s separate homeless outreach teams also engage with unhoused individuals on the system and offer available services; more details can be found in Attachment C.
Transit Security
A primary role of Metro Transit Security (MTS) is Code of Conduct enforcement. In March, MTS officers issued 183 citations and 79 written warnings for Code of Conduct violations. Transit Security Officers also supported the rollout of taller faregates on the A Line at Firestone and Lake stations, assisting patrons entering and exiting stations through the new faregates. Refer to Attachment D for more details on MTS activity and deployment this month and a demographic breakdown of those cited.
Most of the violations, 256 (98%), were due to individuals failing to provide proof of fare. Approximately 87% of all 262 violations in March were issued at TAP-to-Exit locations: Union Station (45%), North Hollywood (27%), Downtown Santa Monica (10%), and Downtown Long Beach (5%). Two benefits of TAP-to-Exit are deterring Code of Conduct repeat offenders and “crimes of opportunity,” as seen in the 16% decrease in Crimes Against Property within the rail system from February to March. MTS continues its efforts to deter those attempting to access the system for non-transit purposes in violation of the Code of Conduct. Metro will continue these efforts as we see the results that both show strong safety metrics and responsiveness to the customer concerns about what makes them “feel safe.”
Metro Ambassadors
Ambassadors provide support to riders, connect them to resources, and report safety incidents or maintenance needs, thereby helping to improve the perception of safety and the overall customer experience. In March, Ambassadors were deployed on all rail lines, the G Line, the J Line, and bus lines 40 and 210. See Attachment E for more details on Ambassador deployments this month.
In March 2025, Ambassadors conducted 44,241 customer engagements and reported:
• 3,645 Cleanliness Issues (10% increase from February 2025)
• 2,373 Graffiti Incidents (8% increase from February 2025)
• 552 Elevator and Escalator Problems (16% decrease from February 2025)
• 334 Safety Issues (9% increase from February 2025)
End of Line Operations
Contract Security (CS) officers offload trains at 11 end-of-line (EOL) rail stations. This operation deters patrons from riding the system without a valid fare while allowing train cleaning to maintain a clean and safe environment. Offloading operations also provide security support for Metro employees (e.g., custodians, maintenance) as they perform their duties. In March, CS officers cleared 15,758 trains and offloaded 7,763 patrons. Compared to the previous month, there was a 4% and 21% decrease in trains cleared and patrons offloaded, respectively.
CS observations have been positive, as operations reduced disorder and improved customer experience. Riders requiring CS interaction are more willing to follow alighting and re-tapping protocols. Enforcing the Customer Code of Conduct deters repeat offenders from staying on trains at the EOL, reflected in the decline of offloaded patrons these past months. Homeless outreach workers are also at end-of-line stations to offer resources and services.
ACCESS CONTROL
Station Experience Updates
Metro is committed to safety and partners with city officials and community groups, including local councils and businesses, to address challenges at various stations. Attachment F describes recent initiatives by the Station Experience team, including:
• Firestone Station Rider Survey shows 95% support for upgraded faregates.
• Throne Bathrooms expand to more stations with over 200,000 uses recorded.
• Vermont/Athens Station gets a fresh coat of paint for C Line improvements.
• Smart BikeLink Lockers with new daily options and improved security bring a +200% jump in user growth.
• Pasadena A Line Stations receive customer-facing improvements as LA Metro prepares for the Club World Cup at the Rose Bowl this summer.
PARTNERSHIPS TO MITIGATE SOCIETAL ISSUES
As Los Angeles faces societal issues, including homelessness and behavioral health concerns, Metro utilizes a care-based approach, collaborating with the Department of Health Services (DHS) and homeless service agencies to deploy multidisciplinary outreach teams (MDTs) across the rail and bus system. Metro has also worked closely with other County departments to help identify programs and improve access to mental health and substance abuse resources. Addressing societal issues requires collaboration across Metro departments, so Ambassadors, homeless outreach, Contract Security, and law enforcement coordinate regularly to address end-of-line and hotspot stations where societal factors are regularly present. Living on the streets is inherently dangerous. By connecting people to housing resources, Metro’s multidisciplinary outreach teams are helping improve the safety of unhoused riders. In the first three quarters of this fiscal year, MDTs have enrolled 5,015 people into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and have connected 2,104 people to interim or permanent housing.
Systemwide Crime Stats - March 2025 vs. February 2025
Crime is another societal issue that can spill onto the vast system. Metro coordinates with its law enforcement partners to provide a visible, engaged presence on the bus and rail system, enforcing the penal code to deter criminal activity, such as assaults, thefts, and trespassing. Comparing the statistics with the previous month and normalizing for ridership allows SSLE and its public safety partners to better observe trends and determine and update deployments as necessary.
After relatively low levels of crime in January and February, Crimes Against Persons increased in March. The second and third weeks of March saw an increase in aggravated assaults around the south of the A Line and local buses before returning to February levels. As it mainly affected the area covered by LAPD, their typical response was to temporarily refocus deployments around the crime “hot spots.”
Crimes Against Society increased in March across all three major categories: Trespassing, Narcotics, and Weapons. Often, crimes in these categories fluctuate with levels of enforcement. Attention was given to Union Station due to the TAP-to-Exit program that first began on February 18, which resulted in extra patrols provided by LAPD, which generated additional crime reports and arrest activity.
• Crimes Against Persons increased by 19.2% in March compared to February (180 vs. 151).
o On the rail system, Crimes Against Persons increased by 47.7% (112 vs. 76) due to increases in aggravated assaults (37 vs. 12), batteries (52 vs. 48), and robberies (15 vs. 13).
o On the bus system, Crimes Against Persons decreased by 9.3% (68 vs. 75), mainly due to decreases in batteries (33 vs. 40) and robberies (10 vs. 14).
• Crimes Against Property decreased by 20.8% in March compared to February (61 vs. 77).
o The decrease is attributed to 15.8% fewer incidents of thefts (32 vs. 38) on rail.
o Crimes Against Property decreased by 29.6% on buses as a result of fewer incidents of thefts (7 vs. 15).
• Crimes Against Society increased by 44.3% in March compared to February (352 vs. 244).
o On the rail system, Crimes Against Society increased by 45.9% (340 vs. 233) due to increases in narcotics (97 vs. 59), trespassing (218 vs. 164), and weapons (25 vs. 10).
o On the bus system, Crimes Against Society increased by one (12 vs. 11) in March compared to February.
Per One Million Boardings
• Crimes Against Persons increased by 8.0% compared to February 2025 (6.79 vs. 6.28) and 30.2% compared to March 2024 (6.79 vs. 5.22).
• Crimes Against Property decreased by 28.2% compared to February 2025 (2.30 vs. 3.20) and increased by 16.8% compared to March 2024 (2.30 vs. 1.97).
• Crimes Against Society increased by 30.8% compared to February 2025 (13.28 vs. 10.15) and decreased by 5.9% compared to March 2024 (13.28 vs. 14.10).
Observing an increase in Crimes Against Persons, law enforcement adjusts their deployments to specific locations identified to have a sudden rise in crime. Additionally, the TAP-to-Exit Pilot and the taller faregates pilot aim to deter crime and restrict access to those intending to use public transit. Refer to Attachment G for more details on the data normalized by ridership. Based on internal metrics and discussions with staff, law enforcement partners adjust their deployments weekly.
Operator Safety
Metro’s law enforcement partners reported ten operator assaults in March, a slight increase from February (10 vs. 7). Using physical force (e.g., punch, slap, kick), using a weapon or object, projectile, and making verbal threats/intimidation were the methods of assaults on operators. Of the ten assaults reported, three occurred outside the operator area, one occurred while the barrier was open, and the remaining six reported a barrier in use. Of the six assaults with a barrier, three involved physical contact. One suspect banged on the barrier with a skateboard and managed to spit on the operator. Another sprayed an aerosol through the gap, while a third threw beer at the operator through the driver’s side window. The other three assaults had no physical contact; two involved weapon brandishing with a barrier between them, and one occurred when the operator exited the bus to call 911 for an erratic suspect who attempted to open the barrier to seize control of the bus. See Attachment H for more details on the assaults.
An analysis of the top ten bus lines for January to March 2024 versus 2025 reveals a 22% decrease in assaults as well as a reduction in assault severity. In March 2024, nine out of ten assaults caused injuries, leading to four operators needing medical treatment. In contrast, March 2025 had ten assaults with no medical treatment required. This indicates a decrease in assault severity, as bus barriers help prevent serious injuries. Although the injury severity in assaults on bus operators is declining, linked to new bus barriers, more work is needed to address emerging assault methods. Staff will analyze assaults with the bus barrier closed and, if trends show gap exploitation, offer mitigation recommendations.
In addition to the protection that physical barriers give, all operators have received de-escalation training. Other safety measures in place include surveillance cameras, penalty signage, and video monitors to deter assaults on operators when they are outside the operator compartment area. Assault events are reviewed by Metro to identify root issues, possible preventive measures, and to provide lessons learned.
Other Frontline Staff Safety
Assaults on frontline staff (excluding operators) decreased from 16 in February to 14 in March. The methods of assault on these frontline staff vary from suspects using their hands to shove or punch staff to spitting to pouring liquid onto an employee. Of these 14 assaults, five occurred on the A Line at different stations. Four assaults occurred at Union Station (not line-specific), three occurred on the B Line at different stations, and two assaults occurred on buses. More details can be found in the Attachment H.
Bus Safety Teams
MTS Bus Safety Teams (BSTs) rotate across the top ten bus lines with reported incidents of operator assaults and bus lines with newly reported incidents of operator assaults and other significant security incidents to enforce Metro’s Code of Conduct. The BSTs are augmented with law enforcement support. In March, there were 1,832 and 9,621 bus boardings by LAPD officers and LASD deputies, respectively.* For more details on MTS activities, refer to Attachment D.
*Law enforcement Bus Teams conduct bus boardings, which is when an officer momentarily boards a bus during its stop, asks the operator if everything is okay, and ensures there are no safety issues on board.
Equity Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro continues to take a cross-disciplinary approach to sustain and grow ridership, improve the customer experience, and, most importantly, ensure the safety of Metro’s system. As highlighted earlier, taller faregates have been installed at select stations to improve passenger safety and security, as they can better detect and deter fare evasion behaviors. The installation of faregates at Firestone Station, which is in an equity-focused community, demonstrates the advancement of equity and investing in system upgrades to improve safety and customer experience in communities with mobility barriers.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through operational activities that will improve public safety and customer experience on Metro’s bus and rail system and further encourage transit ridership. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Next Steps
NEXT STEPS
SSLE continues to monitor the performance of its law enforcement partners, private security, and Transit Security Officers, and the agency’s crime stats. It also considers information from system operations, 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 - Narcan Data March 2025
Attachment B - Arrests by Race & Ethnicity March 2025
Attachment C - Law Enforcement Homeless Outreach March 2025
Attachment D - Metro Transit Security Activities March 2025
Attachment E - Metro Ambassador Activities March 2025
Attachment F - Station Experience Updates
Attachment G - Law Enforcement Crime Summary March 2025
Attachment H - Frontline Safety Additional Data March 2025
Prepared by
Prepared by: Robert Gummer, Deputy Chief, System Security and Law Enforcement
Officer, (213) 922-4513
Stephen Tu, Deputy Executive Officer, Operations, (213) 418-3005
Karen Parks, Senior Director, Special Projects, (213) 922-4612
Imelda Hernandez, Senior Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 922-4848
Reviewed By
Reviewed by: Kenneth Hernandez, Chief Transit Safety Officer (Interim), (213) 922-
2290
Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, (213) 940-4060
Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3034
