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Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) riders reported 366 crimes on the system last year, down 37 percent compared with 2014's number.

Additionally, reported crimes involving customers' vehicles at park and rides fell 26 percent, while thefts across the system dropped 52 percent, TriMet officials said in a press release.

The agency and its police force credited the drop in reported crimes against riders to a more targeted deployment of officers and resources, along with customers' vigilance. For example, the agency last year hired a crime analyst, which allowed TriMet's police force to more quickly identify trends and put officers in places where incidents were most reported.

Although crimes against passengers dropped off, TriMet employees reported 41 crimes in 2015, up from 28 in the prior year. Crimes against agency employees include those against operators, supervisors, transit police officers and others.

Reports of aggravated assaults and harassment against TriMet employees increased  from 8 in 2014 to 29 last year.

"We are taking a three-pronged approach to target aggressive behavior through enforcement, training and public outreach," said TriMet Executive Director of Safety and Security Harry Saporta. "We also will engage our employees in helping find solutions. I will lead a new continuous improvement team made up of operators, supervisors and Transit Police to focus on efforts to increase the safety of our employees."