Meeting_Body
SYSTEM SAFETY, SECURITY AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
MARCH 17, 2016
Subject/Action
SUBJECT: MONTHLY UPDATE ON TRANSIT POLICING PERFORMANCE
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE monthly update on Transit Policing performance.
Issue
ISSUE
On September 4, 2014, the board requested that staff provide a monthly update on transit policing performance to Systems Safety and Operations Committee. Specifically, the board requested monthly updates on criminal activity, fare enforcement, response time, deployment and perception of safety.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
In January 2016, staff continues to be proactive in working with Operations, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), and Communications in addressing perception of safety, criminal activity, fare enforcement, response time, and deployment.
In the new law enforcement services contract, staff is including key performance indicators as tools to track performance.
Below are the key highlights for January 2016:
Actions to Improve the Ridership Experience
• Staff is working with Communications to develop a marketing campaign for safety and security. Marketing materials have been distributed to the system and continue to circulate. Staff is continuing to increase presence on the system using new technologies and redeployment of personnel.
• High Visibility
o Transit Security Officers (TSO) and Los Angeles County Sheriffs have been engaging and interacting with patrons and operators to increase presence and increase the perception of safety on the Metro system.
§ TSO Bus Boarding Activity: The total number of TSO Bus Boardings for the month of January is 2,697. The total number of fare checks is 27,323.
§ LASD Bus Riding Team (BRT): The total number of BRT Bus Rides for the months of January 2016 is 710. The total number of fare checks is 35,076.
Criminal Activity:
JANUARY 2016
Bus Operator Assaults:
• In January 2016, there were 6 operator assaults. Of the 6 total operator assaults for January 2016, 33.3% of the Non-Aggravated Assaults have had a suspect taken into custody. The majority of bus operator assaults are fare related followed by demanding a stop.
• Comparing the months of January 2016 to January 2015, Operator Assaults have decreased 50%.
• Attachment B contains the matrix for the suspects who have assaulted Bus Operators that LASD has been tracking.
• Of the 6 total operator assaults from January 2016, there were 6 non-aggravated assaults. Of the 6 assaults, 3 used spit as their method of assault, followed by 2 who used their hands and 1 that threw cold liquid.
• In the month of January 2016, there were 50,302,672 bus boardings and 6 total operator assaults, equating to 1 bus operator assault per 8.4 million boardings.
Operator Safety:
• The Metro Communications team is rolling out a new marketing campaign targeted at reducing Bus Operator assaults. The campaign features photographs of Metro bus operators and their children and grandchildren, and the accompanying messages are emotional, first-person pleas from these children to respect and protect our operators and their families.
• The sustained campaign will be featured on all Metro buses as well as online and outdoor ads, at Metro bus divisions, and on metro.net and all Metro’s social media channels.
LASD Success Stories
• 01/12/2016 - At approximately 7:00 AM, detectives from the TPD Central Ops Bureau alongside Crime impact Team 1 served a search warrant on the residence of a 15 year old male in connection to burglaries the juvenile may have committed. The juvenile was also wanted in connection to a video of a woman being robbed and beaten on board a Blue Line train in November 2015. Items were recovered tying the juvenile to several burglaries. He was also questioned and admitted to his involvement in the robbery and assault from November. Charges have been filed against him.
• 01/12/2016 - Two victims were targeted due to being in an inter-racial relationship. Vic 1 was assaulted before escaping to seek assistance. Vic 1 managed to flag down Transit Bureau South deputies that were at the station for an unrelated call. The other party in the relationship (Vic 2) was not allowed off the train by the suspect. Suspect proceeded to take the phone of another victim (Vic 3). Deputies did not make it in time to the train but requested units to respond to the Wardlow Station where the suspect was arrested for assault, mayhem, kidnapping, and robbery. No victim was injured.
• 01/26/2016 - Undercover TPD Central Ops detectives detained a suspect matching the description of a thief that had robbed a Metro Red Line patron at gunpoint. Through further investigation, the identity of the second suspect was attained. Investigation is ongoing as one or more suspects may also be responsible for other crimes on the Metro system.
Fare Enforcement:
• In January 2016, law enforcement performed 722,596 fare checks on the rails and Orange Line. In comparison, law enforcement performed 574,239 fare checks on the rails and Orange Line in January 2015. Based on the monthly targets, in January 2016 law enforcement had a 9% saturation rate.
Response Time:
• In January 2016, the average response time for “Calls for Service” (Emergency, Priority and Routine) for all rail lines and buses was 16.9 minutes.
• LASD currently complies with Metro’s Performance Metrics requirement of average of 30 minutes for calls for service. The response time for emergency calls was 7.2 minutes for January 2016.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Transit Policing Division Report January 2016
Attachment B - Matrix of Bus Operator Assault Suspects
Attachment C - Security Mobile Applications
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Alex Wiggins, EO System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-4433
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Stephanie Wiggins, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, (213) 922-1023
