File #: 2020-0569   
Type: Informational Report Status: Filed
File created: 8/14/2020 In control: Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee
On agenda: 9/17/2020 Final action: 9/17/2020
Title: RECEIVE AND FILE Transit Safety and Security Report
Sponsors: Board of Directors - Regular Board Meeting
Indexes: 103rd Street/Watts Towers Station, Call For Projects, Central Los Angeles subregion, Children, City of Los Angeles, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), De-escalation, El Monte, Emergency Operations Center, Homeless Outreach, Homeless persons, Housing, Informational Report, It's Off Limits, Key Performance Indicator, Law enforcement, Long Beach, Long Beach Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, Los Angeles Union Station, Macarthur Park, Maps, Metro Rail A Line, North Hollywood, Operation LA Metro Homeless Outreach, Outreach, Police, Police reports, Program, Safety, Safety and security, Security, Terminal 19, Transit Homeless Action Plan, Transit safety, Uniform Crime Reporting, Vermont/Beverly Station, Westlake/Macarthur Park Station, Westside/Central Service Sector
Attachments: 1. Attachment A - System-Wide Law Enforcement Overview July 2020, 2. Attachment B - MTA Supporting Data July 2020, 3. Attachment C - Key Performance Indicators July 2020, 4. Attachment D - Transit Police Summary July 2020, 5. Attachment E - Homeless Update July 2020, 6. Attachment F - Monthly, Bi-Annual, Annual Comparison_July 2020

Meeting_Body

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

 

Subject

SUBJECT:                     MONTHLY UPDATE ON TRANSIT SAFETY AND SECURITY PERFORMANCE

 

Action

ACTION:                     RECEIVE AND FILE

 

Heading

RECOMMENDATION

 

Title

RECEIVE AND FILE Transit Safety and Security Report

 

Issue
ISSUE

This report reflects July 2020 performance data as reported under the transit policing deployment strategy which is a combination of in-house fare compliance officers, private security for fixed assets and a multi-agency law enforcement deployment strategy by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), and Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). In addition, the report highlights initiatives from the System Security and Law Enforcement department and its efforts to create a safer environment for Metro employees and a safer experience for Metro customers.

 

BACKGROUND

The System Security and Law Enforcement (SSLE) department entered into a multi-agency policing partnership in 2017 to increase the number of police on the Metro system to provide a greater, more visible “felt presence” of police to help deter criminal activity on Metro buses and trains.

 

Discussion
DISCUSSION

 

DEPLOYMENT ANALYSIS AND FORMULA DEVELOPMENT

Transit Security has conducted the following review of its overtime usage.

 

Transit Security Overtime - July 2020

July 2020 Transit Security Overtime report shows a decrease of $101,773.11 (33.8%) in overtime usage from June 2020.

 

 

LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRACT COMPLIANCE

Subsequent testing of the Mobile Phone Validator (MPV) dashboard has shown uneven to subpar results. When specific dates, times, deployment periods and watch/shift are researched the results are sporadic an undependable. After additional discussion with Axiom personnel, it was determined that this is likely a result of poor or no connectivity in the subterranean portions of the system. Once Officers enter the underground portion of the system, their location is not detected by the satellite which isolates their position until they surface again. Many Officers do not surface at all during a shift because they are assigned to stations or platforms that are underground.  However, some officers, show up routinely and frequently on our map because many of their assignments are fixed posts at mezzanines, terraces, or other non-tunnel locations. On Monday June 29th, Axiom’s Project Manager, sent us an information sheet about how their satellite works, and addressed some questions about the poor connectivity and the impact on our mapping functionality. He admitted that the lack of connectivity will continue, and they currently do not have a solution. 

An alternative to the map features could be a report conducted by the Mobile Device Manager (MDM) system, which would tell us which TAP cards (in this case, badges) were read and at what times. With this tool we could see which employees logged into the MPV application, at what time, and at which point they logged off. However, we have tried running reports on three different occasions and no reports were ever generated, Axiom personnel stated on July 14th that the reports function should be operational. We will continue to run reports and report any issues to Axiom. SSLE has begun to look at other vendors, or options that may provide a better solution. We will work with Metro IT to develop a Request for Proposal to determine if there are effective options.

 

TRANSIT SECURITY HIRING EFFORTS

Current Staffing Levels

As of 8/5/20:

Job Title

# Budgeted

# Filled

Vacancies

Capacity

Transit Security LT

5

5

0

100.00%

Transit Security SGT

12

10

2

83.33 %

SR Transit Security OFCR

15

13

2

86.67%

Transit Security OFCR II

75

72

3

96.00%

Transit Security OFCR I

77

67

10

87.01%

TOTAL

184

167

17

90.76%

 

Hiring Plan

First group of 161 applicants have completed qualification steps. 40 candidates were presented with a contingent job offer. Of those, 16 passed the intake meeting and are prepared to go to background investigations. Applicant group #2 consisting of 132 applicants will be completing the written assessment and interviews during the month of August.  

 

 

Training

•                     Glock Transition Program - The first 16 officers are set to begin transition training on August 17, 2020. Additional officers will continue to be scheduled as soon as they can be confirmed on their rollouts.

•                     Implicit Bias Training - The draft of the revised in-house Implicit Bias training was sent to Office of Civil Rights on August 7, 2020, for review and feedback.

•                     Operations Supervisor Safety - A 30-minute draft of Operations Supervisor Safety and Verbal De-escalation presentation was sent to Rail Operations for review on August 6, 2020. Once approved, we will provide this Verbal De-Escalation training to Operations supervisors so they in turn can go back to train their folks in Verbal De-Escalation. 

 

Calls for Service KPI

Metro Security department was tasked to measure key performance indicators to understand specific performance for calls for service. Three types of calls for service were developed and categorized into three types:

 

•                     Routine: Assignments that are dispatched to Metro Security Officers that require their presence to resolve, correct or assist a situation. 

•                     Priority:  Calls endangering property are dispatched as soon as possible if units are available, with the exception of bomb threats calls, which are dispatched immediately to law enforcement. Vandalism and burglary calls may be delayed until officers are available.

•                     High priority: Calls that are in-progress events where persons or high-value property are in immediate danger. This call requires as many personnel as possible to respond safely but quickly.

 

 

We will provide response times in future board reports.

 

BUS OPERATOR ASSAULTS

In June, there were a total of (13) assaults on bus operators, with (6) assaults occurring in LAPD’s jurisdiction and (7) assaults occurring in LASD’s jurisdiction.  All (13) assaults occurred on the bus system on different lines. Ten of the suspects were males and (3) of the suspects were females. Five suspects were arrested, and one suspect was homeless. 

 

In July, there were a total of (4) assaults on bus operators, with (3) assaults occurring in LAPD’s jurisdiction and (1) assault occurring in LASD’s jurisdiction. All (4) assaults occurred on the bus system on different lines. All (4) suspects were males. Two suspects were arrested, (1) suspect was homeless, and (1) suspect suffered from mental illness. 

 

Most of the bus operator assaults occurred in the Mid-City and Mid-Wilshire areas, with some assaults occurring in the Harbor-Gateway and El Monte Terminal areas.

 

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COVID-19 RESPONSE

The Emergency Management Department (EMD) has continued to support Metro’s Incident Management Team in the Agency’s response to COVID-19. EMD activated Metro’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) starting March 10, 2020, and began coordination of daily Command Staff meetings, intelligence briefings and communication with local government and transit partners on regional response, best practices and real-time lessons learned during this incident.

 

EMD has implemented a Duty Officer Program, with 24/7 availability to aid Metro employees with any questions regarding Metro’s COVID-19 response, COVID-19 case tracking and reporting, and all incident related assistance or inquiries for information.  Metro’s EOC has facilitated and/or provided guidance in notifications to staff, acquiring of emergency supplies, funding regulations & expense reimbursement strategies, safety protocols, regional transit communications (Joint Information Center), and requests from LA County and City EOCs.

 

Since March 10, 2020 the Emergency Management Department has facilitated the following for COVID-19 response activities:

 

•                     70 Command Staff Meetings

•                     Over 200 Duty Officer calls

•                     92 Command Staff Public Health Intelligence Briefs

•                     119 Operational Periods of EOC Activation

•                     Provided over 40,000 masks to Law Enforcement and Transit Security for personnel use and to utilize as de-escalation tools for Metro system riders to maintain a safe environment for all 

•                     Assisted in collecting data and facilitating the FEMA reimbursement application process for Metro’s COVID-19 response and mitigation expenses, totaling over $144 million

 

HOMELESS OUTREACH SERVICES

Operation “Shelter the Unsheltered”

PATH Outreach Data: July 1 - July 31, 2020

•                     11 individuals were permanently housed

•                     286 individuals have been permanently housed since May 2017

•                     29 motel rooms were secured to house 53 homeless persons

o                     26 of the clients were single mothers with children

o                     14 clients were singularly housed

o                     1 deaf couple

o                     1 couple with 4 children

o                     1 couple with 3 children

o                     1 couple without children

Total Motel Expense: $59,733.23

Note:  Temporary city shelters are NOT taking new cases and are in the process of closing. As a shelter closes, the remaining occupants are being transferred to the shelters still open and others are being housed through Operation Room Key. The goal is to close all temporary shelters by September 30th and have all remaining occupants housed by then.

PATH teams deploy daily throughout the system with special attention to the following hot spots:

 

•                     Day Team (7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

o                     Red Line: Union Station, MacArthur Park, Vermont/Beverly

o                     Blue Line: Slauson

o                     Orange Line: North Hollywood, Van Nuys

o                     Silver Line: Slauson

o                     Gold Line: Heritage Square, Lake, Allen Station, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, APU

o                     Expo: Expo/Crenshaw

o                     Green Line: Willowbrook/Rosa Parks

•                     Swing Team (3 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.)

o                     Red Line: MacArthur park/Westlake/7th St/Metro, Union Station, North Hollywood

o                     Orange Line: North Hollywood

o                     Expo Line: Santa Monica Station

o                     Gold Line: APU Citrus, Lake Station

o                     Blue Line: Downtown Long Beach, Compton, 103rd Station

o                     Green Line: Harbor Freeway, Vermont/Athens

o                     El Monte Station

 

The Dream Center Outreach Program & Team

Faith-based community-based organization. Provides social services 24 hours a day, seven days a week

•                     Execution date:  Friday, July 10, 2020. Teams deploy:

o                     Fridays, Union Station, close of station 

o                     428 contacts were made between July 10 and August 18, 2020

 

 

 

L.A. DOOR Outreach Program & Team

Comprehensive, health-focused, preventative approach that proactively engages individuals at elevated risk of returning to the LA City Attorney's Office on a new misdemeanor offense related to substance use, untreated mental illness, and/or homelessness.

•                     Execution date:  Wednesday, July 8, 2020.  Teams deploy:

o                     Wednesdays, Union Station

o                     Thursdays, Civic Center/Grand Park

o                     Fridays, Westlake/MacArthur Park.

o                     Number of contacts with homeless persons made to date:  237

 

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

Housing Collaborations:

Public/Private Housing Discussions

•                     April 6th meeting with members from The Mayor’s Office of City Homelessness Initiatives - Housing Team

•                     July 31st   Rapid Shelter meeting with CEO of The Housing Innovation Collaborative. Meeting held with Metro’s Executive Officer, Office of Extraordinary Innovation and Project Manager, Homeless Outreach and Strategic Planning.

•                     August meetings held with two regional Councils of Government to discuss homelessness, best practices and collaboration.

 

Homeless Outreach Collaborations:

•                     Los Angeles City District Attorney’s Office - Neighborhood Prosecutor

 

4-DAY HOMELESS RAIL & BUS COUNT

•                     The 4-day homeless count on rail and bus is in the planning phase and is expected to launch early October. 

 

SEXUAL HARASSMENT INITIATIVES

SSLE has developed a new Sexual Harassment Sensitivity Training to better meet the needs of victims of sexual harassment while aboard Metro. Training was complete as of July 1, 2020 and internal and external Metro marketing materials have been updated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PEACE OVER VIOLENCE PERFORMANCE METRICS

 

 

Performance Measure

Number Served (June)

Number Served (July)

Total Sexual Harassment Cases Contacting POV

2

4

Total Cases of Metro Located Sexual Harassment Contacting POV

2

2

Total Number of Metro Riders Requesting Counseling Services

2

2

Total Number of Police Reports Filed or Intended to File

2

1

Total Number of Active Cases

1

1

 

JUNE 2020 REGULAR BOARD MEETING

At June’s Full Board Meeting, Board Director Fasana requested a report back on how the changes in Metro’s fare enforcement have impacted our fare revenue. The FY20 budget assumption before COVID for fare revenue was approximately $23.7 million per month, of which $16.6M was estimated for Bus and $6.8M for Rail. The fare revenue collected after COVID-19 is around $1.2 to $1.6 million a month. This is a 95% drop in fare revenue since the Safe-at-Home orders were implemented.

 

The decrease in fare revenue is mostly attributed to a decrease in ridership as a result of the Safe-at-Home orders and Metro implementing rear-door boarding on buses to minimize contact between our bus operators and riders. Also, our fare enforcement officers realigned their efforts from fare enforcement to educating our riders on essential travel.

 

Next_Steps

NEXT STEPS

Staff will continue to monitor our law enforcement partners, private security, and Transit Security performance, monitor crime stats, and adjust deployment as necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attachments

ATTACHMENTS

 

Attachment A - System-Wide Law Enforcement Overview July 2020

Attachment B - MTA Supporting Data July 2020

Attachment C - Key Performance Indicators July 2020

Attachment D - Transit Police Summary July 2020

Attachment E - Homeless Update July 2020

Attachment F - Monthly, Bi-Annual, Annual Comparison July 2020

 

Prepared_by

Prepared by:  Jimmy Abarca, Senior Administrative Analyst, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-2615

 

Reviewed_by

Reviewed by:  Bob Green, Chief System Security and Law Enforcement Officer, (213) 922-4811