It has been over a year since the LA Metro board approved a plan to create its own transit police force. During LA Metro’s scheduled board meeting on Thursday, June 27, board members have decided to turn this vision into reality. The decision was taken after reviewing possible plans for establishing a new in-house public safety department. Although several board members were absent at the meeting, the vote for this move passed unanimously, with ten affirmatives.
The step was taken after widespread public comment and statements from leaders of the three law enforcement agencies currently contracted to provide public safety services on LA Metro trains and buses. The board members are now embarking on a prolonged process of building a new security force from scratch. This decision will eventually end or modify existing contracts between LA Metro and regional law enforcement partners.
LA Metro is looking forward to a five-year phased transition to establish a “Transit Community Public Safety Department” (TCPSD). The plan’s next steps will include creating a “transition team” comprising experts in various public safety fields, such as policing, mental health, social services, and human resources. LA Metro will also collaborate with CalPERS, an agency that administers retirement benefits for state employees, and initiate the recruitment process for officers to staff the new police force.
With this move, LA Metro aligns with other regions that employ their own transit police, such as the Bay Area, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.
LA Metro operated its own transit police force from 1978 to 1997. It was formed in response to a spike in violent crime across the transit system, mainly against bus operators. The Southern California Rapid Transit District’s police force even employed over 500 officers, making it the 10th largest law enforcement agency in California and the largest transit police force in the nation. Later, a politically driven move for cost-cutting led the agency to merge with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. These agencies, along with the Long Beach Police Department, continued to supervise the security system despite their effectiveness being questioned in light of their multimillion-dollar contracts.
An audit conducted in 2023 by the Office of the Inspector General revealed that many officers assigned to patrol transit stations, trains, and buses spent most of their time away from these areas. The report also revealed that more than half of transit-related 911 calls were responded to by officers who were not assigned to the Metro system.
At the meeting, LAPD Interim Chief Dominic Choi, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, and Long Beach Police Department Chief Wally Hebeish answered questions from board members and defended the performance of officers assigned to Metro duty. Sheriff Luna highlighted the challenge of patrolling Metro’s extensive service area, stating, “We can’t be everywhere.” He added, “We do the best that we can to keep people safe, and we have pretty darn good response times.” Expressing his concerns about major upcoming events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl in 2027, and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics, he shared, “This is not the time to experiment with new projects.” He stated, “Public safety is too important for that.”
The contracts with these agencies have continued despite criticism of the performance of contracted law enforcement. Many leading activists are advocating for the resurrection of a dedicated transit police force.
Violent crime against passengers and transit operators is what originally led to the creation of an in-house police force. The rise of deadly narcotics like fentanyl and a significantly larger homeless population has added to the urgency of this decision.
