Metro board member responds to recent violence on buses and trains
After two separate stabbings Monday night, Los Angeles Metro officials reassured riders they are doing everything they can to make the public transportation system safer.
"We don't want this to turn into a police state where we have a safe system if we had an officer camp every 10 feet," Metro board member Ara Najarian said. "It would be intimidating to members of our community."
Najarian, a longtime member of the agency's board, said it's about striking a balance with how many armed officers are on patrol. He added that Metro is considering the creation of its own police force.
"We are looking at every possible thing we can to keep the system safe," Najarian said.
The latest Metro Public Safety update from March showed that crimes against people like aggravated assault and murder are down early 30% compared to February; compared to last year, those types of crimes have decreased by 40%. It attributes the downward trend to an increase of transit security officers, law enforcement and unarmed ambassadors.
"We've had a multi-layered strategy that's been in place since last year, and it's working we've seen crime go down on our system month-over-month," Metro deputy chief Robert Gummer said. "There's a lot to be done."
Despite the assurances and statistics, riders continue to feel a lingering feeling of anxiety when boarding a train or bus, especially after another person was attacked with a wrench Tuesday afternoon.
"It just really highlights the fact that our system needs to be seriously looked at as it relates to public safety," LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. "We need to allow law enforcement to bring forward their recommendations or what they view as impediments to getting the job done."
David Kohut rides the Metro B (Red) Line several times a week from the Universal City station. Three weeks ago, a 67-year-old grandmother was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack.
"It's completely out of control," Kohut said. "I don't know what it is. There's something in the air, something in the water but something is definitely awry."
The transit operators' union also demanded changes, including armed security officers on buses, silent alarms to alert police, emergency exits for drivers and cashless fare payments.
"We need to get outreach teams out there," Barger said. "We can talk about the public safety on our transit system, but let's talk about the root cause of what's going on."
