Metro - File #: 2024-0020

• File #: 2024-0020
• Type: Informational Report
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 1/8/2024
• In control: Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee
• On agenda: 2/15/2024
• Title: RECEIVE AND FILE the Public Safety Report.
• Sponsors: Executive Management Committee
• Indexes: 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Arroyo Verdugo subregion, Assembly Bill 468, Barriers (Roads), Call For Projects, City of Los Angeles, Cleanliness (Graffiti Abatement), De-escalation, Design build, Division 11, Division 21, El Segundo Station, Escalators, Fare Evasion, Graffiti, Homeless Outreach, Informational Report, Law enforcement, Long Beach Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, Los Angeles Union Station, Maintenance, Metro Busway G Line, Metro Divisions, Metro Rail A Line, Metro Rail B Line, Metro Rail C Line, Metro Rail D Line, Metro Rail E Line, Metro Transit Ambassadors, North Hollywood Station, Pasadena, Pershing Square Station, Pico Station, Plan, Retrofitting, Ridership, Safety, Safety and security, Security, Statistics, System safety, Testing, Transfer on 2nd Boarding, Transit buses, Transit safety, Uniform Crime Reporting, Vermont/Santa Monica Station, Westlake/Macarthur Park Station, Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station, Wilshire/Vermont Station

Meeting_Body

OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

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 safety and safety perceptions for riders and employees. The following summarizes current initiatives to accomplish 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 the Board adopted 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, private 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. SSLE forms the foundation of Metro’s multi-layered approach to safety and security, focused specifically on protecting our customers and employees by preventing and addressing crime on our system, enforcing Metro’s Code of Conduct, ensuring the safety of our facilities, directing the deployment of law enforcement and private security presence throughout the system, and proactively identifying and addressing areas of possible concern.

The following is a snapshot of activities and performance and outcome-related data for December, the most recent month for which systemwide law enforcement data is available.

DEPLOYMENTS AND TRENDS

In 2023, Metro significantly and strategically revised its approach to safety and security as the societal issues of opioids and other drug use, people experiencing homelessness, and post-COVID aggression have been reflected in behaviors exhibited on our system. Recent crime data reflects the effectiveness of Metro’s strategically layered approach to addressing these challenges as we continue to observe sharp decreases in the most serious crimes and increased arrests in areas such as trespassing and drug-related offenses, demonstrating effective proactive efforts and enforcement in those areas.

SSLE’s initiatives included the Drug-Free Metro Campaign, which kicked off in February 2023 and reduced the number of people using drugs on the system; followed by a Supplemental Deployment on the B and D Lines in April, where most of the drug use activity was identified; Bus Riding Teams by Metro Transit Security and law enforcement partners started deploying in July on bus lines with the highest occurrences of bus operator assaults; and alignment of contract security and Metro custodial personnel to ensure subway ancillary areas are clean, and trespassers are cleared or arrested.

Additionally, Metro focused on reducing the number of people who attempt to shelter on the system at the close of rail service and reducing fare evasion by ensuring all patrons leave the station at the end of the line and TAP back in if they choose to continue riding the system.

Systemwide Crime Stats

The following represents crime statistics and data analysis for the month of December 2023.

The significant number of trespassing arrests and enforcement is having its desired impact, which is the continued decrease in violent crime incidents on the system.

For the year, Part 1 crimes per 1 million boardings decreased by 5.5% compared to 2022 (see table below).  For more details, please refer to Attachment A.

The graph below shows that Part 1 crimes per 1 million boardings are trending down from 2022 to 2023:

The graph below shows that Part 2 crimes per 1 million boardings have increased from 2022 to 2023. 

This increase is primarily due to Metro’s increased efforts to remove individuals from the system for trespassing in the ancillary areas and for narcotics use.

December 2023 Deployment Results

The following reflects the results of the deployment for the month of December and the impacts of curtailing crime on the system.                      

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 determining they did not possess a TAP Card or pay fare to access the rail or bus system. The two charts below depict law enforcement efforts in support of the Multi-layered Planned 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.

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

*LBPD 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.

Contract Security

Contract security (CS) officers offload trains at the end-of-line stations and provide security support for maintenance employees while they perform their duties at the stations. CS cleared 9,794 trains and offloaded 9,373 patrons during the month of December. Data from this first month will establish a baseline, and we can measure the impact on safety and security moving forward. The additional support provided by CS has addressed concerns articulated by Metro employees, who were facing increased harassment from patrons who refused to exit the system at the end-of-line stations. This effort, in conjunction with law enforcement support, has also addressed individuals attempting to shelter on the system and violate Metro’s Customer Code of Conduct by ensuring all patrons exit the station and TAP back in if they wish to continue their use of transit. 

CS has also proven helpful in identifying areas where unhoused riders could benefit from additional support or resources.  CS shares their observations during weekly Multi-layered Planned Deployment meetings with Metro Homeless Outreach and law enforcement partners. CS observations are compared with feedback from Metro Blue Shirts and Transit Ambassadors to understand where unhoused riders require the most resources. The table below reflects the homeless outreach efforts during the multi-layered deployment throughout December.

Transit Security

The primary role of Metro Transit Security (MTS) in the Multi-layered Planned Deployment is Code of Conduct enforcement. Since the onset of the Multi-layered Planned Deployment, SSLE has noted that 96% of the Code of Conduct violations cited on the system have been for fare evasion since the revised Code of Conduct was incorporated in June 2023. In December, MTS officers issued 221 citations and written warnings for Code of Conduct violations. Of those, 211 (95%) were due to individuals failing to provide proof of fare. The remaining citations and written warnings issued in December were for Code of Conduct violations: littering, smoking/vaping, urination/defecation, loitering, and unruly activities. The numbers reflect the continued efforts of MTS to deter those attempting to access the system in violation of the Code of Conduct. Code of Conduct enforcement is critical to maintaining order on the system and deterring non-destination travelers who attempt to leverage the system for illicit activity.

Operator Safety

In December, operator assaults decreased by 15% compared to November 2023 (17 vs. 20). Using hands (punch/slap) and spitting on the operator were the top two methods of assault. Of the 17 assaults, nine were reported to have a bus barrier in use, five occurred outside of the barrier, and the remaining three did not provide details of bus barrier use. Of the reported assaults, two victims required medical transport. 

When analyzing the total operator assaults in 2023 and 2022 in relation to ridership, the results show that assaults on operators per 1 million boardings decreased by 8.2% in 2023 vs. 2022. 

Assaults in December were slightly higher than the monthly average of 14 operator assaults in 2023 and higher than historical averages over the past six years, as shown in Figure A. 

The methods of assaults that occurred in December are summarized in Figure B.

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

Figure B: Methods of Assault

To improve security and prevent operator assaults, staff are working on various strategies, including deploying Metro Transit Security Bus Riding Teams and law enforcement bus boardings, retrofitting bus barriers, providing de-escalation training, and participating in collaborative meetings with other Metro departments. Bus Riding Teams and law enforcement bus boardings increase uniformed presence across the bus system. Retrofitted bus barriers will offer bus operators more protection, and after gathering feedback from operators, a new glass prototype is being developed. De-escalation materials and training were made available in 2023 to better prepare Metro employees for different types of negative interactions and provide the fundamental skills to deal with those situations. In addition, through the Joint Labor Management Safety Committee (JLMSC) and Operations Safety Steering Committee (OSSC), Metro staff can discuss safety concerns and develop interventions and initiatives to enhance overall operator safety.

Bus Riding Teams

Transit Security Bus Riding Teams continue to rotate across the top 10 bus lines with reported incidents of operator assaults and lines with newly reported incidents of operator assaults to enforce Metro’s Code of Conduct. In December, seven Transit Security Bus Riding Teams were deployed across the five service areas of Metro’s bus system. Three teams were deployed on the Day Shift and PM Shift, and one team was deployed on the Early Morning Shift (Owl Service). The following table illustrates the Bus Riding Team deployment for December and the number of trips.

Two remaining Transit Security Bus Riding Teams are tentatively scheduled to be deployed by Spring 2024. The MTS teams are augmented with the support of law enforcement. For December, there were 11,325 bus boardings by LAPD officers and 8,976 bus boardings by LASD deputies.

In addition to Code of Conduct enforcement, TSOs provide riders with safety tips, such as being aware of their surroundings while using their mobile phones and informing them of the Transit Watch application to report incidents. Several TSOs are bilingual and can assist patrons in Spanish, Korean, and Thai, among other languages. TSOs also engage with bus operators to obtain information regarding safety issues or areas of concern that the Bus Riding Teams can address.

Line 207 Fixed Deployment

By July 2023, Line 207 (Western Av.) had documented six operator assaults, four of which were in a specific segment of the Line’s route. It was also identified as the top bus line for reported incidents of crime. To reduce operator assaults and crime, Line 207 was selected for a fixed Bus Riding Team deployment.

A Transit Security Bus Riding Team was deployed from September to December on Line 207, covering the segment of the Line’s route that reported the highest number of operator assaults (4 out of 6). During the fixed deployment, removals for fare evasion at the door decreased from 169 to 98 (-58%), and only one operator assault (-75%) occurred in the segment covered by the Bus Riding Team.

Staff will continue to review crime statistics and physical assault data 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 ten bus divisions at monthly RAP sessions to obtain feedback on lines and geographical areas where bus operators have safety concerns.

ACTIVITIES

Narcan Deployment

In 2023, Transit Security Officers and Transit Ambassadors were trained in administering Narcan. They are augmented by law enforcement officers who receive this training through their respective agencies.

During December, MTS reported four Narcan incidents. All the incidents resulted in the successful revival of the individual experiencing symptoms of an overdose. 

As for Metro Ambassadors, they reported 18 Narcan incidents, with one fatality:

•                     (6) Incidents at WLMP Station

•                     (3) Incidents at 7^th Street/Metro Center Station - 1 of 3 was a fatal incident

•                     (3) Incidents on a B Line Train

•                     (2) Incident on a E Line Train

•                     (2) Incidents at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station

•                     (1) Incident at North Hollywood Station

•                     (1) Incident at Wilshire/Vermont Station

In total, MTS and Ambassadors reported 22 incidents in December, which is a 22% increase compared to the 17 reported incidents in November. This increase could be attributed to the holiday season, which can be a trigger for individuals struggling with substance abuse.

Public Facing Dashboard Update

SSLE and ITS conducted their Project Kickoff meeting with the external vendor project team to establish objectives and a project approach. The methodology and approach consist of:

1.                     Refining Requirements & Sprint Planning

2.                     Project Buildout, Iterations, and Testing

3.                     Customer Experience Office Review

4.                     User Acceptance Testing

5.                     Training and Communication

6.                     Production Cutover and Delivery

The current scope period of performance for delivery is two to six months. SSLE will continue to update the Committee on the progress and timeline of delivery.

Emergency Management Update

Emergency Training and Exercises

Exercise 20 of 20 for the calendar year 2023 was conducted on Tuesday, December 14, 2023, in response to a management request from a train vs. vehicle incident on September 28, 2023, in Pasadena. The primary goal was for all participants to better understand how Metro and first responders can meet objectives while minimizing compromise, balancing life, safety, and security, and minimizing disruption to service. There was good participation and discovery during the Tabletop Exercise (TTX). Several details of how participating agencies respond to this type of incident were new and enlightening information, increasing awareness for both Metro personnel and first responder agencies. Although the response to the September 28 incident was good, communication and coordination can be further improved. A total of 42 participants included Pasadena PD, Pasadena FD, LASD, Metro RTOS/Rail Instruction, ROC, Division 11 and 24 Management, MOW (TP and Signals), and the Emergency Management Department (EMD). A date for a follow-up Full-Scale Exercise is tentatively earmarked for the first quarter of 2024.

On December 7, EMD coordinated a bus familiarization training for LAPD, SWAT, and HazMat Teams at Metro’s Division 4 to increase their awareness and knowledge of how to safely respond to criminal incidents on Metro buses.

On December 20, EMD coordinated rail training for the LAPD Bomb Squad and K-9 Teams at Division 21 in preparation for their annual K-9 transit certification.

In 2023, EMD conducted training and exercises with over 24 local, state, and federal response agencies to increase their knowledge and ability to respond safely to our system and better protect our front-line staff. In addition to engaging with 24 response agencies, EMD exercised and trained with over 665 participants, including Metro personnel and first responders regionwide. 

CUSTOMER COMMENTS

The main concern in December was the El Segundo Station on the C Line with posts related to graffiti, broken escalators, and other Facilities/Infrastructure concerns. SSLE will provide this information to Facilities Maintenance and Facilities Contract Maintenance and highlight this station within the Security Operations Center to ensure additional activity visibility.

Call Center Comments

From November to December, customer comments related to Passenger Conduct decreased from 44 to 38. Customer comments related to Rail General Security Concern decreased from November to December from 17 to 14. For customer comments related to General Security Concern, there was an increase from November to December from 9 to 12. Examples of some of these comments are riders complaining about individuals smoking on the train, drinking alcoholic beverages, and playing loud music. SSLE will continue highlighting top themes from comments submitted to the Call Center and collaborate with its public safety partners to address them as part of the Multi-layered Planned Deployment.

Transit Watch (TW) App

Transit Watch App reports related to safety and criminal elements for December totaled 2,264, an increase of 6.9% compared to November. The Security Operations Center’s Security Control Specialists (SCS) response time, based on initial reporting, has decreased by 6.4% from November (0.77 minutes) to December (0.57 minutes). By comparison, in FY23, the average response time was 4.9 minutes, exceeding that fiscal year’s target of 4 minutes. For FY24, SSLE established a target response time of 2 minutes to ensure a faster process for determining the proper response and dispatch of resources, improving calls for service response times on the system. The reported number for December exceeded the target goal and demonstrates Metro’s commitment to providing excellent customer service and timely security resources to keep patrons and employees safe.

Of the incident types reported through the Transit Watch application, graffiti, sexual harassment-non-physical, and sexual assault-physical saw the highest increases in reporting from November to December. Graffiti incidents reported in December were 1,189 vs. 979 in November (a 21.5% increase). Of the 1,189 graffiti incidents captured, Ambassadors reported 69% (817) of these occurrences. The number of sexual harassment-non-physical reports submitted in December was 17 vs. 13 in November (a 30.8% increase). Sexual assault-physical reports submitted in December were 16 vs. 13 in November (a 23.1% increase). In December, SSLE utilized the weekly meetings between members of the Multi-layer Planned Deployment to discuss observed increases in security incidents, which included sexual assault and harassment. Sexual assault incidents have been addressed by law enforcement in the form of arrests. Still, SSLE is also exploring best practices such as messaging/awareness campaigns, education, and video analytics to address both sexual assault and harassment systemwide.

The top three locations reporting sexual assault-physical incidents in December were Union Station (3), Pershing Square Station (2), and Wilshire/Western Station (2).  For graffiti incidents, the top three locations were Pico Station (52), Vermont/Santa Monica Station (46), and Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station (26). Sexual harassment-non-physical incidents were reported sporadically across different stations, with no station reporting more than one incident.

In December, Transit Watch reports highlighted increased property crime and cleanliness issues along the A, C, and E lines. However, through information sharing within the Multi-layered Planned Deployment, it was quickly assessed that these issues were due to increased ridership due to holiday travel and sporting events. These observations resulted in increased patrols at stations with the highest observations. The strategies developed as a result of Transit Watch reporting have led to an 8.8% decline in fights/disturbances, non-sexual harassment, theft, and smoking/alcohol/drugs. 

METRO AMBASSADOR PROGRAM UPDATE

A Metro Ambassador’s role is to improve the perception of safety by providing support to riders, connecting riders to resources, and reporting incidents or maintenance needs. Metro Ambassadors were deployed on the A Line, B Line, C Line, D Line, G Line, K Line, and J Line and bus lines 210, 40, 20, and 720.

New G Line Deployment: As of Friday, 12/22/2023, we have scheduled 12 Metro Ambassadors a day to support customers on the G Line, assisting customers from North Hollywood to Chatsworth.

By the numbers

For the month of December 2023, Metro Ambassadors conducted 63,605 customer interactions and reported the following:

•                     1,871 Cleanliness Issues

•                     706 Graffiti Incidents

•                     343 Elevator and Escalator Problems

•                     259 Safety Issues

Equity Platform

EQUITY PLATFORM

Metro continues to take a cross-disciplinary approach to address the system’s various safety needs. Using a multi-layered public safety model, the agency recognizes the need to use a multitude of strategies and resources, including a humane approach to supporting vulnerable and unhoused riders, responding to customer concerns, and improving cleanliness and security to better protect riders and Metro employees on the system. Operator safety remains a top priority, and as much of Metro’s ridership is on buses, SSLE is increasing its presence on the buses by deploying Metro Transit Security Bus Riding Teams. Direct feedback is obtained by staff at monthly operator RAP sessions to make informed decisions for each deployment. In addition, as EFCs are a critical point of consideration to ensure security resources are equitably distributed systemwide, Metro Ambassadors were recently deployed on the G Line.

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 - Part 1 Crimes per 1 Million Boardings 2022 vs. 2023

Attachment B - Board Motion 36.1

Attachment C - Arrests by Race & Ethnicity December 2023

Attachment D - Total Crime Summary December 2023

Attachment E - Systemwide Law Enforcement Overview December 2023

Attachment F - MTA Supporting Data December 2023

Attachment G - Bus & Rail Operator Assaults December 2023

Attachment H - Sexual Harassment Crimes December 2023

Prepared by

Prepared by: Robert Gummer, Senior Executive Officer, System Security & Law

Enforcement, (213) 922-4513

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

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