During the LA Metro’s regularly scheduled board meeting Thursday, the board was presented with possible plans related to establishing a new in-house public safety department.
After hours of public comment and statements from the leaders of the three law enforcement agencies currently contracted to provide public safety services on LA Metro trains and buses, the board decided it was best to begin the long process of building a new police force from the ground up and ending or modifying its existing contracts with regional law enforcement partners, KTLA reports.
LA Metro will now move forward with a five-year phased transition to establish a “Transit Community Public Safety Department.”
LA Metro did have its own version of transit police between 1978 and 1997, which was created due to a spike in violent crime across the transit system, particularly against bus operators.
The Southern California Rapid Transit District operated a police force with more than 500 officers at its peak, making it the 10th largest law enforcement agency in California and the largest transit police force in the nation.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/la-metro-moves-forward-with-plan-to-establish-own-police-force/