LOS ANGELES COUNTY : MTA Officers Will Begin Policing Blue Line Today
Metropolitan Transportation Authority police will take over for sheriff’s deputies and begin patrolling the Blue Line trolley starting today.
Earlier this spring, the MTA board rejected a bid by the county Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department to begin policing the transit lines. The agency opted to use its own officers, saying it would save money.
The MTA police will start monitoring the Blue Line, which runs between Downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as the Green Line, which will run between El Segundo and Downey when it opens in 1995. Sheriff’s deputies have patrolled the Blue Line since it opened.
“MTA Police are undergoing training and orientation in Blue Line security to ensure a seamless transition on July 1,” said MTA Police Chief Sharon Papa. “They will patrol the rail cars, station platforms, grade crossings, and staff the dispatch center.”
In the next fiscal year, the MTA Police will add 79 officers, enlarging the department to 425 officers and 114 security officers.
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