Letters to the Editor: To police standing around in Metro stations: Get on the trains
To the editor: As an occasional rider of the Metro A and B Lines (formerly Blue and Red, respectively), I have noticed some incremental improvements in addressing safety. More civilian Metro personal are out and about on the station platforms, which does have an effect on keeping the facilities tidier and a bit safer. (“L.A. Metro is doomed if it can’t keep bus and train riders safe,” editorial, May 6)
But the real problem is on the actual trains, not on the platforms. No one — not the Metro personal or officers from various police agencies — is actually riding on the trains and walking through them to show their presence.
On the very rare occurrence that I have seen a couple of officers actually get on the train, they get into the first car and stand directly behind the driver’s station and get off at the next station. They usually don’t even bother to look down the length of the car, let alone walk through the train.
Way back in my day as a cop, we called it “walking a beat.” It was a very effective way to show who was in charge.
Bob Hoffman, Long Beach
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To the editor: I am done taking Metro trains.
I have a truck, but I am a believer in taking public transportation to reduce traffic and pollution. Despite years of feeling very uneasy on transit because of the presence of seemingly mentally ill people, I still took Metro rail to Little Tokyo.
The fatal stabbing of Mirna Soza Arauz and the assaults on bus drivers have changed my mind. My heart goes out to all who do not have alternative transportation.
I will not take Metro until there is a large, dependable and accountable security force and a system that will not allow people to ride unless they pay. Our “car-free” 2028 Summer Olympics transportation system is in real jeopardy unless drastic changes are made quickly.
Shirley Tatsuno, Alhambra
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To the editor: The recent sick-out by Metro bus drivers was a reminder that without these people, the whole system falls apart.
I am a regular rider and totally supportive of the drivers’ action. Now I feel it is incumbent on riders to express solidarity by thanking them for every ride when boarding and deboarding. Bus drivers are the very definition of essential.
I don’t have the option to leave the system. Let’s stand together in support of our drivers and each other. There is safety in numbers.
Don’t give up on Metro!
Annie Hayden, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Rider safety is necessary for Metro to survive, but not sufficient.
Perceptions of transit safety are strongly influenced by the lax enforcement policies Metro implemented after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Officers who attempted to enforce Metro’s rules were routinely vilified, and Metro’s board consciously sacrificed order to diminish bad press — but the bad press is back.
Metro’s ridership problem runs much deeper than security. Total annual ridership decreased by more than 100 million boardings between 2007 and 2018, before the pandemic. The core reason was increased spending on rail and reduced spending on buses.
Fewer people appeared on L.A.’s expanded rail system than were forced off buses by service reductions and fare increases.
James E. Moore II, Los Angeles
The writer is a professor emeritus of transportation engineering at USC.
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To the editor: Before the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and the Rapid Transit District (RTD) merged to form Metro, the RTD had its own police force. After the merger, the RTD officers were absorbed into the Los Angeles Police Department. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department was placed under contract to provide security for Metro.
Perhaps it is time to return to a dedicated transit police department.
Judy Wilson, Pasadena
