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LA Metro Calls For In-House Public Safety Plan
The LA Metro transportation system includes trains and buses.
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Courtesy of LA Metro
)
For years, Metro has been looking at how to pull back from policing contracts with the LAPD and LA County Sheriff’s Department.
LA Metro’s Board of Directors voted Thursday to direct staff to come up with a plan to bring public safety in-house. Part of the idea is to repurpose budgets and have more homeless and mental health crisis teams.
For instance, part of a report presented to the board Thursday calls for single-officer patrol units in some cases, rather than two-person teams.
The report estimates Metro could free up some $37.5 million dollars by switching to an in-house model.
“Allocating additional resources towards homeless outreach programs could further help address the complex challenges faced by Metro to provide a care response to social issues specifically related to individuals experiencing homelessness, untreated mental health, and addiction issues within the transit system,” the report reads.
L.A. Mayor and Metro Board member Karen Bass said at Thursday’s meeting that she was excited about the idea of trying something new.
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“As I sit here month after month and listen to your public safety reports, so much of it are social problems,” Bass said.
The estimated budget for the in-house department is about 22% less than the $173 million in policing contracts set for fiscal year 2023. Metro staff will have until January 2024 to come up with the implementation plan.
Concerns on the resolution
Some transit justice advocates see Metro’s current plan as policing under a different name.
During public comment, community organizer Brenda Jackson with Community Power Collective spoke in opposition to what she said were “efforts to create an in-house police department.”
“It’s a waste of public resources to spend money on police response that is already covered by local neighborhood patrol,” Jackson said.
A 2021 report from the transit justice coalition The Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles (ACT-LA) called for immediately divesting from policing on public transit.
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“Armed law enforcement patrol should not be the default approach that Metro implements to respond to people experiencing homelessness or mental health episodes, or to enhance rider experience,” the report reads.
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