Metro Transit to use multi-million dollar investment for safety improvements
MINNEAPOLIS — Metro Transit buses and trains will soon get a multi-million dollar investment in safety improvements.
The Metropolitan Council, the body that oversees Metro Transit, is expected to pass its 2025 budget Wednesday night.
Safety is a chief concern for transit leaders, as it is for customers.
"You see a lot of people passed out," said Avery Durham, a regular light rail rider. "You see a lot of people doing drugs on the train."
Darius Shepard, who rides every day, says he's noticed the trains are getting safer.
The numbers bear that out: Metro Transit says reported crime this year is down 8% last year, and serious crimes like assaults and robberies are down 14%.
Transit leaders say their strategy involves more than just police presence.
About 60 TRIP agents regularly ride the trains, and the plan is to bump it up to 100 next year.
"[TRIP agents] have multiple duties including assisting customers, inspecting fares," said Lesley Kandaras, Metro Transit's general manager. "Our TRIP agents, along with our community service agents, have checked about 450,000 fares this year, which is about double what we checked the year before."
Cutting down on fare jumpers is a focus, and the Met Council's prepared to dedicate more than $11 million in the budget to security officers and St. Paul Downtown Alliance ambassadors.
Durham says it's the kind of safety plan he supports.
"More of a community presence," he said. "I know there's green-shirts [ambassadors] that come around here and talk to the community. Seeing them on the light rail [is what I want] more than just police officers sometimes."
Metro Transit police have also created a specific beat focused on the Hamline Midway area, which is where a man was shot and killed on a Green Line train last month.
Interim Chief Joe Dotseth says there's a person of interest in that shooting, but no arrests have been made.
The Met Council budget also includes investments for mental health workers and substance abuse counselors.
Metro Transit's Homeless Action Team has connected more than 50 people to treatment programs this year.
