Efforts to improve public safety on transit persist in the face of many needs, fewer police

Riding the train alongside police officers can be a little uneventful. And that’s the point. When police, uniformed staff, or security personnel are around, bad behavior tends to diminish.??

Instead, what you start to see are warm, chance encounters that remind us what we have in common.??

On patrol this week, a Blue Line rider speaking with Lt. Chad Worden (below) recalled his experience as a police officer in the early 80s and how much less equipment they had to carry. In another conversation, a retired couple flying out to visit grandkids in Seattle traded notes with Lt. Jason Malland, who grew up in the area.??

We know many of our riders are frustrated that interactions like these aren’t the norm. We share this frustration and are committed to doing everything we can to make things better.??

Unfortunately, the reality is the Metro Transit Police Department remains short 60-plus full-time police officers and resources are stretched thin. The demands were evident within a few hour span on a recent weekday when:?

• Officers were called to reported disturbances at the Brooklyn Center Transit Center, the Uptown Transit Station, and a vehicle stuck on the tracks in downtown Minneapolis.?
• Patrol officers were working overtime at the Lake Street/Midtown Station, checking fares before allowing customers to reach the platform.??
• Interviews with prospective community service officers were underway.??
• The department’s Homeless Action Team was offering resources to unsheltered individuals along Hiawatha Avenue.??

Simply put, we need more people.?That’s why we’ve increased wages to attract more police applicants, are reviewing proposals to bring contracted security to more locations, and are on a path to introducing a new group of non-sworn personnel who would ride trains and buses to ask for fares and provide other assistance.??

Efforts to improve conditions at our facilities, provide more frequent and reliable service, and more regularly communicate with you about what we’re doing are also in the works.??

Please know we hear your concerns and are committed to making things better. The actions we're taking to improve public safety on transit are summarized in our Safety & Security Action Plan. To read the plan and find the latest updates, visit?metrotransit.org/public-safety?

Join our law enforcement team!?

The Metro Transit Police Department is currently accepting applications for?lateral officers?and will be accepting full-time officer and community service officer applications again soon.

Learn more about working at the Metro Transit Police Department?