SOUTH-CENTRAL : MTA Uses Grant to Add Officers to Patrols
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority police, utilizing a $1.1-million Department of Justice grant, Wednesday began a community-based policing program in South-Central Los Angeles.
The 15-officer detail will work in a 30-square-mile area that includes portions of 27 MTA lines and 300,000 daily riders.
The officers, who have received advanced training in police-community relations and early intervention techniques, will be deployed on vehicle and foot patrols.
“For most residents, the transit system is a vital lifeline, and it must be made safe for them,” said MTA Chairman and county Supervisor Mike Antonovich.
The grant, made under the Police Hiring Supplement Program, is the first of its kind for a transit police department. It is the largest in the nation for a department the size of the MTA Transit Police, MTA officials said.
The funding award, made in May, allowed the agency to recruit, train and equip a dozen new officers. The addition of those officers allowed 12 veteran police officers and three supervisors to be assigned to the community police detail.
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