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Is a policing surge the answer to L.A.’s transit safety concerns?
More armed police and sheriff’s deputies will be visible on Los Angeles County’s buses and trains as agency leaders cite an increase in violent crime on the system.
At a news conference Thursday, L.A. Mayor and Metro board chair Karen Bass said she had directed “an immediate surge of law enforcement personnel on Metro buses, on rail cars and in stations to address this spike.”
Bass also announced an upcoming board motion that would increase law enforcement deployment throughout the transit system.
It’s not yet known how much the agency will pay for the increased deployments — or how many more officers would be deployed. The surge would amount to “a minimum of dozens [more officers] per day,” according to Metro spokesperson Dave Sotero, who added that Metro’s contracted law enforcement agencies are developing cost estimates.
Metro has paid about $1 billion since 2017 to the Los Angeles Police Department, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and the Long Beach Police Department. Tensions have risen during that time, with Metro officials considering creating their own transit police force, citing high costs and not enough improvements to safety.
The action from Bass and Metro leaders comes during “a near daily barrage of new attacks on passengers and drivers,” L.A. Times transportation and mobility reporter Rachel Uranga explained.
“Three people were stabbed in two separate incidents earlier this week,” she reported. “Last month, Mirna Soza, 66, was fatally stabbed on the subway as she came home from…