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7/2/2024
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (L.A. Metro) board has approved the creation of a Metro Transit Community Public Safety Department (TCPSD).
The TCPSD will use a public safety workforce trained specifically to address the needs of transit riders, according to an L.A. Metro news release.
"This action will make Metro safer by transforming the public safety system through a new model that fits the unique needs of our transit system," said Los Angeles Mayor and L.A. Metro Chair Karen Bass.
The TCPSD will maintain the current number of 386 law enforcement officers deployed daily in the field, while increasing the daily deployment of ambassadors, homeless outreach and crisis intervention staff. The TCPSD plan also allocates $5 million annually for innovative public safety infrastructure improvements at transit stations.
The new TCPSD is expected to cost $192.6 million per year compared to the current $194 million multiagency contract cost.
L.A. Metro will now create a dedicated transition team of subject-matter experts to ensure internal and external coordination, and hire a chief of police, agency officials said.