MINNEAPOLIS — Metro Transit has been hard at work the last year, boosting safety for riders.
Transit officials say during the pandemic they saw a decrease in ridership and an increase in crime.
Those trends sparked a deeper look at Metro Transit’s safety and security measures to see if any improvements could be made.
Over the last two years, Metro Transit has implemented 43 action items as part of its Safety and Security Action Plan.
On Monday, Metro Transit released new numbers that provided an update on how that plan may be affecting crime numbers.
During the first quarter of 2023, Metro Transit police officers responded to 2,381 criminal incidents.
That number dropped to 2,050 incidents during the second quarter.
The number dropped again to 1,598 during the third quarter.
However, the number went up to 1,789 incidents during the fourth quarter of the year.
Metro Transit says over the course of the year, crime decreased overall by 25%.
Officials say these criminal incidents include several types of crime, from alcohol and tobacco violations, all the way up to assaults and homicide.
However, Metro Transit’s crime data tells a different story when you look at crime numbers from 2022. According to Metro Transit Chief Ernest Moralles III, crime was up about 32% in 2023 compared to 2022, so crime is still on the rise.
"I want to remind everybody that we are coming out of COVID so ridership is also up as well,” Chief Morales says during a virtual press briefing Monday afternoon.
"Compared to 2022, we did see an increase in ridership, about a 15% increase, so that's a positive sign,” Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras added during the briefing.
Transit officials say ridership numbers haven’t bounced back since the pandemic.
Kandaras says Metro Transit has regained about half of the riders they lost during the pandemic.
Metro Transit officials say more riders will impact the crime numbers in two ways: With more people, there could be more conflict and more crime, but there is also the theory that there is safety in numbers.
Transit officials believe bigger crowds will be a deterrent for criminal activity because there are more people around to report criminal activity.
Chief Morales says the recent crime numbers may also be impacted by a stronger police presence in their system.
"As far as proactive policing, they are definitely out there making more arrests. We have over 4,000 arrests for the year, so they have definitely been proactive,” Morales explains.
Metro Transit also provided an update on their hiring initiative to bring in more officers.
Chief Morales says the department currently has 108 full-time officers and they would like to have 171.
They're also looking for part-time officers, having 31 and hoping to have 80.
Kandaras says police presence is important because officers provide a visible reminder that Metro Transit is committed to providing a safe space for commuters to travel across the Twin Cities.
"We know we are doing a lot of work to improve public safety and the perception of public safety, but we also have to show that work, and so that continues to be a focus of ours."
Another big focus for Metro Transit this year is bringing in more community service officers, which is an entry-level position at Metro Transit.
Metro Transit is now offering CSO’s up to 12 free college credits they can earn while working on the job.
CSO’s can also earn up to $18,000 in tuition reimbursement.
According to its website, Metro Transit is also offering to pay CSO’s $25.40 an hour with benefits.
Chief Morales says Metro Transit currently has 13 CSO’s, but they would like to have as many as 70 on staff.
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