LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced a sweeping new plan Tuesday to remove individuals living on LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority trains.
Called Operation Safe Travel and scheduled to take effect June 1, the plan calls for high-visibility sheriff patrols, civilian homeless outreach and early intervention.
“We definitely have a problem on the Metro system, and it’s been brought to our attention again and again,” Villanueva said. “About 5,700 people are living on the train system and on the platforms, and that intersection with the people that are actually using the trains for the intended purpose for travel is colliding with deadly results.”
In making his case for the plan, Villanueva listed several deadly incidents that have occurred on the Metro system involving homeless individuals over the past six months. In November, a passenger was fatally shot in the head. In January, a woman was attacked and killed at a bus stop near Union Station, and another passenger was pushed onto the tracks at Willowbrook station.
Most recently, in May, a person was intentionally set on fire twice by a homeless person while riding a train, and a female patron was sexually assaulted at a train station by a transient, the sheriff said.
“When you have that large of a population of homeless people on the system, bad things will happen because you have people that are under the influence, have mental issues, and they’re in a place where people are vulnerable,” said Villanueva.
Saying that trains are for people to travel, not places for them to live, Villanueva faulted the Metro Board of Directors for allowing the train system to subject its travelers to unsavory behaviors that include drug use, mental health episodes, sexual harassment and violence.
Under its contract with Metro, the LA County Sheriff’s Department responds to 911 calls and provides mental health evaluation teams to assist Metro in reacting quickly to emergencies, but it does not patrol trains.
In a move designed to force Metro’s hand, Villanueva said his department would implement Operation Safe Travel. Calling it a “simple, multi-layered approach,” the plan calls for targeted operations along the entire system countywide. It includes having sheriff’s response teams on the trains to provide additional visibility, with patrol deputies making contact and engaging with commuters.
“You should not have to step over dead bodies or people injecting themselves or being assaulted by passengers,” Villanueva said. “That’s just not acceptable in any way, shape or form around the entire world. This is all about safety.”
As part of the program, the sheriff’s department is setting up a safe travel tip line (213-229-2298) for the public to report any “Metro-specific non-emergency concerns.” The line is already open for calls.
Operation Safe Travel will also deploy community-oriented policing units, also known as TSB units, as well as canines. It will also send mental evaluation teams who are trained to interact with homeless individuals on the Metro system, according to LA County Sheriff’s Capt. Shawn Kehoe.
About 270 sworn officers and 45 civilian staff are assigned to the sheriff’s department community-oriented policing units. The sheriff also plans to leverage resources in its narcotics, major crimes, safe streets and reserve forces bureaus.
Kehoe said they also plan to use intelligence units that specialize in human trafficking “as we have human trafficking on the system as well as sexual-related crimes.”
The most important component of the plan, Kehoe added, “is our HOST teams — our outreach to our homeless individuals that are living on the trains. We’re going to be actively engaging those communities.”
Lt. Geoffrey Deedrick, who oversees the HOST program, said the focus is on rapport building and connecting with people who are vulnerable in the community. As part of the program, LA County Sheriff’s Department mental evaluation teams partner with specialists from the LA Homeless Services Authority.
HOST is already tasked with every homeless encampment in its jurisdiction that has five or more people. In the 10 years HOST has existed, Deedrick said it has never had to make an arrest and never had to use force.
Metro responded to Villanueva’s plan Tuesday by saying in a statement, “We will continue to work cooperatively with the LA Sheriff’s office as outlined in our contract extension for the next year. Safety is Metro’s No. 1 priority, and we continue to add additional programs and services to our system to address crime, cleanliness and safety issues. As the year proceeds, Metro will evaluate all of our options to identify the most effective path forward to create the safest and most comfortable environment possible for our customer and employees.”
Villanueva said the department’s Operation Safe Travel plan is “going to conflict with some of the illegal parts of Metro’s contract,” which he said sets the transit agency up for liability issues because law enforcement is responding to violence that has already occurred instead of intervening before it can happen.
“This system is not designed to be a homeless shelter, period,” Villanueva said. “There’s just no way on Earth that is acceptable anywhere, yet this system was allowed to perpetuate that. So, let’s focus on public safety. Let’s enforce the code of conduct.”