MN: Crime on Metro Transit buses and trains increased over the summer but has decreased this year starting in 2023

Crime on Metro Transit buses and trains increased during the summer months into September, but overall crime is down so far this year and is below 2023 levels.

In the third quarter ended Sept. 30, crime rose 6.7% compared to the same period last year, according to a presentation at a Metropolitan Council committee meeting Wednesday. The biggest crime: people smoking on public transport.

Smoking is usually one of the most common complaints from passengers in subway transport. About 831 smoking citations were issued by Metro Transit Police in the first three quarters of this year, up from 161 in 2023.

The 5,556 crimes reported in the first three quarters of this year represent a decrease of 8.4% compared to the 6,066 crimes reported in the same period of 2023.

Acting Police Chief Joe Dotseth attributed the drop in crime to “proactive policing.”

“Even though we lack manpower, these officers work very hard,” he said.

The seven most common serious crimes classified by the FBI, including murders, sexual offenses and assault, increased slightly from 287 crimes to 298 in the third quarter.

Police staffing continues to be a challenge for Metro Transit. While the budget includes money for 171 officers, the department currently only employs 110 full-time officers.

Likewise, a program to send community service officers — police officers who study law enforcement — has funding for 70 officers this year, but only 15 are currently on board. These officers are intended to support the full-time police and provide additional security on public transport.

Dotseth said the proposed 2025 budget calls for a more realistic goal of 55 community service officers.

Metro Transit created a safety plan in 2022 as the company faced a crime crisis on public transit and declining ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part of that focus is hiring Transit Rider Investment Program (TRIP) agents to audit fares and ensure a consistent presence on public transit.

Metro Transit hired 13 employees in the third quarter to fill 22 positions. To bolster their ranks, an additional 25 TRIP agents were hired from an outside security firm. However, the overall goal is to have up to 100 TRIP agents by the end of 2025.

The agents “really made a big difference,” said Leah Palmer, manager of Metro Transit’s TRIP program. Adding 100 TRIP agents to the ranks “sounds like a wild number, but we’re already at 20%,” she said. The jobs, with a starting salary of $28.55 an hour and benefits, have attracted a lot of interest and applicants, she said.

As a result, the number of fare inspections rose to 133,866 in the third quarter from 56,149 inspections in the same period last year.

Metro Transit has also invested in private security guards at key transit stations, including Lake Street/Midtown, Franklin and Terminals 1 and 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on the Blue Line, Central Station on the Green Line, the Brooklyn Center and Uptown transit centers, and the I-35W & Lake station on the Orange Line.

Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras said next year's budget calls for an increase in investment in the program to increase the number of security guards and the locations they patrol throughout the transit system.

“This is a multi-year effort,” she said. “We know we still have more work to do.”

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