Meeting_Body
REVISED
SYSTEM SAFETY, SECURITY AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 16, 2017
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 October 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
This report covers the month of December 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 December 2016:
Actions to Improve the Ridership Experience
Metro is committed to providing a safe and quality ridership experience for all of its customers. To minimize blight and disorder on the Metro system in part caused by homelessness (encampments, loitering without fare, etc.) and illegal vending, Metro has launched two programs: The Homeless Task Force and the Vendor Pilot Program at Westlake/MacArthur Park.
1) Homeless Task Force
As part of Metro’s broader Transit Homeless Action Plan, in November 2016 Metro launched a Homeless Task Force, a working group of homeless organizations and stakeholders interested in providing transit specific solutions to the LA County homeless crisis. The Task Force conducted a 3 day homeless count the week of 1/23/17. The Transit Homeless Action Plan was finalized in January 2017 and is attached (Attachment C). will be presented to the Board in February 2017.
2) Westlake/ McArthur Park Vendor Pilot Program
To control the voluminous non-permitted illegal vending at Metro’s Red/Purple Line Westlake/ McArthur Park station, Metro has partnered with Supervisor Solis and Los Angeles City Council Office, Gil Cedillo to launch a controlled Vendor Pilot Program. The result of this pilot program is to minimize blight and disorder at this station by eliminating unpermitted street vending on Metro Property, ensure safe boarding and alighting of bus patrons and to ultimately transform the station plaza into an inviting environment.
Metro’s Public Relations and Special Events are communicating with the City of Los Angeles to determine an opening date.
High Visibility
• Transit Security Officers (TSO) and Los Angeles County Sheriffs (LASD) have been engaging and interacting with patrons and operators to increase presence and increase the perception of safety on the Metro system. LASD has a 20 deputy train riding team (10 cover the Red and Gold Lines and 10 cover Blue, Expo and Green Lines. The goal of these operations is to combat quality of life issues on the Metro system. TSO’s conduct high visibility both on bus and rail.
§ TSO High Visibility Activity:
§ LASD High Visibility Activity: The total number of LASD train rides for the month of December 2016, is 1516. The total number of fares checked in the month of December 2016 is 58,743
Criminal Activity:
DECEMBER 2016:
Bus Operator Assaults:
• From January to December 2016, there were 121 operator assaults. Of the 121 total operator assaults, 32% of the total assaults have had a suspect taken into custody. The majority of bus operator assaults are caused by fare related followed by missed stop.
• Comparing January-December 2015 to January-December 2016, Operator Assaults have decreased 29%.
• Of the 121 total operator assaults from January to December 2016, there were 100 non-aggravated assaults, 15 aggravated assaults, 3 sex crimes, and 2 robberies. The method of assault was as follows: 59 used hands/feet, 34 used spit, 9 threw cold liquid, 9 threw an object, 5 used a weapon, there were 3 sex crimes, and 2 robberies.
• Attachment B contains the matrix for the suspects who have assaulted Bus Operators that LASD has been tracking.
• From January to December 2016, there were 323,059,463 bus boardings and 121 total operator assaults, equating to 1 bus operator assault per 2.6 million boardings.
Operator Safety:
• The ongoing Transit Ambassador Program focuses on classes that address conflict resolution for Operators and Supervisors.
• Metro Operations is continuing to move forward with the installation of barriers and monitors in the remaining serviceable fleet.
• For the rest of Metro’s fleet (about 1300 buses), In June 2016 staff started a program to retrofit operator barriers onto buses This program is expected to run for approximately 24 months. Staff is also developing a new program to have video monitors retrofit onto the rest of Metro’s bus fleet.
• As of December,2016 the Metro New Flyer Buses that in service are as follows:
o Number of New Flyer buses in service (LA Metro & Contract Services) = 900 of 900
o Number of buses “in-service” with protective barriers = 883
o Number of buses “in-service” with live video monitors = 895
o All other New Flyer Buses are complete. Buses (17) remaining to campaign are Contract Services’.
Significant Activities
• 12/5/2016- FBI and Department of Homeland Security contacted the joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC) run by the LA County Sheriff’s Department in collaboration with several area law enforcement agencies. They had received what they believed was a credible threat to the Metro Red Line from an overseas source. This attack was to occur on 12/06/2016. This information was given to the LA Sheriff’s Criminal Intelligence Bureau and forwarded to the Transit Policing Division as they police the Metro system.
Sheriff Jim McDonnell chose to collaborate with the LA offices of the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and LAPD, to effectively cover any contingency that this threat may pose to the Metro system and the surrounding community. LASD Transit Policing Division was the lead agency for units such as the Special Enforcement Bureau (SWAT), Haz-Mat, Major Crimes Bureau (undercover assets), etc These additional assets were deployed for the entire enforcement period, which in this case, would last until12/09/2016.
• 12/13/2016- LASD Transit Policing Division personnel received a call at approximately 1:00AM of a possible assault on the Hollywood/Vine Red line station platform.
When deputies arrived they found no victim, no suspect, or witness that would come forward. LA City Fire personnel, who also responded, checked the area and also had negative results.
A media outlet contacted the Transit Policing Division Public Information Officer and asked about a viral video depicting an apparent assault on a Red Line platform. A male adult appeared on the video assaulting a senior citizen. Once he reviewed the video and investigated the original call for service, that he believed was the same incident, he forwarded the information to the Division detectives. Detective personnel contacted the person who posted the video to social media and then reached out via the media in attempt to have the victim and/or the suspect contact LASD Transit.
The victim did indeed contact the handling detectives and, after receiving a tip as to the identity of the suspect, he was arrested at his home without incident approximately 48 hours after the initial incident happened. The suspect admitted to his role in the attack and was booked a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, likely to produce great bodily injury.
The case is currently being adjudicated. The victim was treated and released for his injuries.
• 12/29/2016- at approximately 2:00PM, Transit Policing Division units responded to call at Hill Street and 1st Street, Los Angeles, in regard to a report of an assault on a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bus Operator. Bus #5674 was traveling southbound Hill Street from Temple Street when the bus operator directed a patron who was too close, to give her space and to have a seat. The suspect became enraged and punched the bus operator in the forehead and then fled once the bus stopped. Responding LASD units checked the immediate area for the suspect. The suspect was located and detained. The suspect was positively identified by the bus operator and the suspect was taken into custody.
The bus operator sustained a minor injury, but refused medical treatment at the scene. A criminal case is currently being adjudicated against the suspect for battery on a transit operator.
Fare Enforcement:
• In December 2016, law enforcement performed 299,415 fare checks on the rails and Orange Line. Based on the monthly targets, in December 2016 law enforcement had a 3% saturation rate.
• Based on the chart, green checks occur when a patron has valid fare and has tapped at a turnstile or stand-alone validator. Yellow checks occur when a patron has valid fare, but failed to TAP at a transfer point. Red checks occur when a patron either has a daily/weekly/monthly pass and has not tapped at all during their trip, has stored value and failed to TAP, or has no stored value.
• The fluctuation of ticket issuance is due to transition of fare enforcement from LASD to Metro Transit Security.
• At the discretion of the fare inspector, patrons are encouraged to make payment at the ticket vending machine or TAP their card on the validator in lieu of receiving a citation.
Traffic Enforcement Activity in the Bus Rapid Transit Lanes:
• In December 2016, there were 175 “Failure to Obey Signs” citations issued on Wilshire Blvd.
Response Time:
• In December 2016, the average response time for “Calls for Service” (Emergency, Priority, and Routine) for all rail lines and buses was 18 minutes.
• LASD reports emergency call responses averaged 6.35 minutes in December 2016.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Transit Policing Division Report December 2016
Attachment B - Matrix of Bus Operator Assault Suspects
Attachment C - Metro Transit Homeless Action Plan
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Alex Z Wiggins, Chief, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-4433
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Stephanie Wiggins, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, (213) 922-1023
