Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
APRIL 20, 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 compliance, response time, deployment and perception of safety.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
This report covers the month of February 2017. 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, 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 February 2017:
Multi-agency Law Enforcement Contract Award:
On February 23, 2017, staff submitted a multi-agency law enforcement contract award for consideration and approval by the Board of Directors. The overarching goals associated with the recommendation were to improve law enforcement viability, improve response times, increase law enforcement staffing over each 24-hour operating period, and to improve contract compliance. The contract was approved and as a result Metro’s new law enforcement model leverages partnerships with the Los Angeles Police Department, Long Beach Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
• The new approach emphasizes highly visible, proactive patrols as a tactic to deter crime.
• Metro anticipates faster emergency response times - achieving an average of 6 minutes or better
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
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 have an anticipated opening date of March 30, 2017.
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:
Criminal Activity:
FEBRUARY 2017:
Bus Operator Assaults:
• In February 2017 there were 15 operator assaults. Of the 15 total operator assaults, 66% of the total assaults have had a suspect taken into custody. The majority of bus operator assaults are caused by fare related followed by patrons demanding to stop.
• Comparing February 2016 to February 2017, Operator Assaults have increased 50%.
• Of the 15 total operator assaults from February 2017, there were 11 non-aggravated assaults, 2 aggravated assaults, 1 sex crime, and 1 robbery. The method of assault was as follows: 5 used hands/feet, 4 used spit, 1 threw cold liquid, 2 threw an object, 1 used a weapon, there was 1 sex crime, and 1 robbery.
• Attachment B contains the matrix for the suspects who have assaulted Bus Operators that LASD has been tracking.
• In February 2017 there were 21,604,148 bus boardings and 15 total operator assaults, equating to 1 bus operator assault per 1.4 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.
• 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 February, 2017 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 (15) remaining are Contract Services’.
Significant Activities
• 2/1/2017- Unit 603 responded to Slauson station in regard to a robbery of a cellphone. Responding units checked the area for the suspects and detained two juveniles matching the description. The victim positively identified both juveniles as the two suspects who took his phone by force.
• 2/5/2017- Suspect demanded the victim’s cell phone and attempted to pull the phone away. The victim maintained possession of phone. Suspect in custody.
• 2/9/2017- Unit 687 responded to a report of a drunk male with a 1 yr. old child passed out aboard Bus #6032, line 53. Upon arrival, the deputies saw the male passed out and displaying signs of alcohol intoxication. The deputies took the child into protective custody and arrested the male for child endangerment.
• 2/15/2017- Deputies responded to a location regarding an assault call. Upon their arrival, they detained a male at gun point described in the call as the suspect. Further investigation revealed he was involved in an altercation with another male aboard Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bus#9247. During the altercation, the suspect produced a Knife and stabbed the victim three times in the arm and ribs.
The suspect was transported and booked at the inmate reception center. The victim was transported to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries. Transit Policing Division Detectives were notified and investigation is ongoing.
Fare compliance:
• In February 2017, law enforcement and Transit Security performed 226,745 fare checks on the rails and Orange Line. Based on the monthly targets, in February 2017 law enforcement had a 2% saturation rate. Although law enforcement ceased their fare compliance operations, they still have the discretion to check fare on a case by case basis.
• 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 compliance from LASD to Metro Transit Security. LASD ceased fare compliance beginning January 2017.
• Metro’s Transit Security department was authorized to hire an additional 77 TSO to help with fare compliance.
o As of 2/28/17, 27 new TSO have been hired
o We expect to complete the hiring process by May 2017.
• 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:
• Per a board members request, beginning September 2016, we began to track citations issued along Wilshire Blvd.
• In February 2017, there were 110 “Failure to Obey Signs” citations issued on Wilshire Blvd.
Response Time:
• In February 2017, the average response time for “Calls for Service” (Emergency, Priority, and Routine) for all rail lines and buses was 16.8 minutes.
• LASD reports emergency call responses averaged 6.6 minutes in February 2017.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Transit Policing Division Report February 2017
Attachment B - Matrix of Bus Operator Assault Suspects
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
