Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
MAY 21, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: DRONE SECURITY MONITORING SERVICES
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to execute Modification No. 2 to Contract No. PS118995000 with Flying Lion, Inc. to continue to support security monitoring, emergency response, infrastructure inspections, and aerial situational awareness across the Metro transit system, in the amount of $497,764, increasing the total contract value from $497,780 to $995,544, and extending the period of performance from July 22, 2027, through July 21, 2029.
Issue
ISSUE
Metro's transit system spans more than 100 rail stations, over 250 miles of rail right-of-way (ROW), thousands of bus stops, and critical infrastructure across Los Angeles County. Rapid situational awareness is essential for inspections, responding to security incidents, emergencies, and service disruptions. Drone services support incident assessment, infrastructure inspections, and security monitoring in areas with limited CCTV coverage, including locations impacted by copper theft and vandalism. With a rise in high-risk areas along the rail right-of-way due to the increased value of copper wire, there was an increased need for continuous observation and frequent drone deployments at the start of the contract in 2024. Drone flights averaged five times per week, which accelerated the use of funds. While deployments have been reduced to approximately twice per week, a contract modification is required to continue these core services, driven by current field conditions and to account for upcoming large-scale events.
Background
BACKGROUND
In 2018, as the Metro "New Blue" (A Line South refurbishment) project was attempting to reopen, it encountered continuous delays due to rampant copper cable thefts along the rail line. As this issue persisted, the project team sought new solutions in August 2023 to i...
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