Metro leaders will consider adding its own police unit – NBC Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Metro Board is considering creating its own police force amid a rise in reported violent crimes in the transit system.

Dubbed the “Transportation Community Public Safety Department Implementation Plan” (TCPSD), the proposal calls for the creation of an internal public safety department over a five-year transition period. Transit leaders will discuss the possibility of the plan at a meeting scheduled for Thursday.

“We still recognize that there’s a need for more, our public is demanding more,” said Robert Gunmer, Metro’s deputy chief of systems security and enforcement. “You’ll see a dedicated Metropolitan Police Department whose primary focus is solely on transit services.”

Under the plan, police force recruits would undergo a four-week training program and officers would be deployed via an area deployment model. It would replace Metro’s current system, which uses multiple agencies to ensure the safety of its public transportation.

Currently, the multi-agency contract costs the transit system $194 million per year. The TCPSD proposal includes four different service models ranging in price from $155 million to $214 million.

“There will be an additional 141 transit ambassadors deployed to the system daily,” Gunmer said. “And additional homeless ambassadors deployed daily.”

Transit officials will discuss the proposal in more detail Thursday. If approved, it is not yet clear how soon it will be implemented.