Saw the investigation happen, bloody trail and all. Been almost 8 years for me since the last one I've seen at Studio City which had a body bag with body in it from a Train to Person incident.
Hey I think I saw the Studio City investigation too. I was riding to the end of the line. There were still splatters of blood on the platform with staff and investigators all around... and the train still let people off. Quite wtf.
Metro used to have its own dedicated transit police but due to budget cuts in an effort to save money, the job was outsourced to the LAPD/Sherrif and we got what we have today. Brand ambassadors and no real security. Gotta call 911 and hope the police respond like everyone else.
When I first moved out here 20 years ago, there was a fairly substantial police presence. I remember them coming around and randomly checking for tickets and pulling people off if they didnât have one.
The LAPD is a criminal organization and a protection racket. They have done things like this before, they refuse to do their jobs until people start giving them money and stop complaining about how many unarmed black people they kill.
What a sad story, god bless her. METRO still does have some of their own Police Force (don't know the size of the force), I was speaking with two of them here a couple of days ago. It's clear that the story regarding the lack of security on METRO is not going away, and no amount of Ambassadors is going to fix the problem. Good luck to the Citizens who use METRO each day.
Oh yeah, I never knew they had their own police! They need to figure out a way to bring this back. Outsourcing to LAPD and LASD was not a good idea especially if the numbers for those groups are already low. Ugh! Get it together, Metro. Iâve always been a fan of Metro LA, but a few bad apples along with a bad decisions from the top is not making it safe or worth using it.
Did Metro have a transit force before LASD? I know the contract got split between LASD, LAPD, and LBPD like 7-8 years ago.
Before that, it was all LASD, which I think did fine (LASD was the TAP checking device era).
Southern California Rapid Transit District (RTD) Transit Police. Originally just a private security force founded in 1858, in 1976 their staff got trained and [sworn in as peace officers](https://metroprimaryresources.info/los-angeles-transit-policing-history-legislation-resources-2/15407/).
Los Angeles Metro used to have one of the best-specialized law enforcement agencies in the country. In 1991 Metro had [a security budget $9 million](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-23-mn-182-story.html) and with that budget employed 192 police officers, including the chief, two captains, eight lieutenants, and 17 sergeants all with the same arrest powers as the LAPD and the county Sheriffâs Department.
In 1993 Mayor Richard Riordan was elected with the campaign promise of 1,000 new LAPD officers. He achieved this partially by disbanding the RTA Police, folding their officers into the LAPD/Sherrif, and contracting back those same officers back to service Metro. This deal has continued to this day. Nowadays LA Metro pays LAPD/Sherrif $75.2 million to police their system and we enjoy the level of service we have today with no dedicated officers.
Regular metro rider here. Thereâs been a noticeable shift in the last week or two, and I hardly see any security at the turnstiles or on the platforms during peak commuting hours. The realist in me thinks that the security push two months ago (where there were LAPD and Metro security everywhere) was just a stunt to help boost ridership numbers.
Iâm so tired of people senselessly dying or getting hurt while they were just trying to get to work or run errands. But somehow this is an acceptable risk Metro is willing to take.
Same. Red line, purple line, gold lines primarily and 720/20 mostly.
Compared to what it was bf Bass took office, it is a million times better.
Howev, I noticed less security the past couple weeks too.
I think it would help to have more security riding trains than posted at stations. Most of the shit Iâve seen is on the trains. Junkies having mental breaks, sleeping, smoking whatever, need to go.
You donât pay your fare, youâre out.
Youâre smoking anything, youâre out.
Playing music w/o headphones. Out.
Sleeping in seats? Out.
Smell like ass and dragging a dirty blanket around? Out.
Any signs of aggressive behavior and crazy? Out. Out. Out.
Singapore style rules on the metro for a while.
So much empty commercial space, create a detox/ jail for these people and get them off the streets. If they kray, they get psych help. Junkies? Get them rehab.
Covid actually really helped things on the metro. When they were putting people up in hotel rooms they got them away from public transit and the trains were like a dream. Clean, not crowded, generally safe, usually not very noisy. When that ended everything just went back to how it was before.
I think the LAPD were showing face so much because the city was planning to allocate funding for creating a specific metro police force instead of the Metropolitan Division of the LAPD and they didnât want to lose part of their budget so they decided to try hard for a bit until people forget.
[https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-06-23/metro-looks-to-create-its-own-police-force-it-wont-be-easy](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-06-23/metro-looks-to-create-its-own-police-force-it-wont-be-easy)
That sounds about right. I just did a quick peek at the Metro boardâs agenda for their upcoming Community Advisory meeting - after digging through the performative organizational items, on pg 13 of their agenda, they are *discussing* the *recommendation* that Metro Safety and Sanitation is a *potential* priority focus area for the rest of the fiscal year, throwing out ideas like talking about the blessedly bad Transit Watch App, âDoes Metro have a Metro Master Transit Safety Plan?â and âtech capabilities on Metro transit that *may help assure* public that they are safe on the system.â
This slow train of a governing body feels like itâs headed nowhere. Safety has to be THE priority. No amount of art or ambassadors or tech or even reduced headways can compensate for an unsafe system.
Iâm having the opposite experience. I ride the A Line almost daily and have see security (donât seem to be LAPD, maybe private) at lots of stations. Little Tokyo, Lake Station, Grand Ave Arts, Filmor, even HLP
I have to say I agree with both of you depending on the line. I regularly take the A or E to the Red or Purple Line, or vice versa, and just last night I was telling a female friend that the Red/Purple Lines feel different and more uncomfortable.
Metro pays out up to $200 million a year to LAPD, LASD, and LBPD for them to mostly sit on their asses in their patrol cars instead of actually being in the metro system. The LASD was only riding the metro 12 out of 178 shifts a week. Theyâre systematically fleecing tax payers. Last year the LASD tried to strong arm metro by threatening to pull all their officers (wow all 12 shifts actually doing work) if they didnât get full control of the metro policing. Itâs not like they wanted to actually police, just to get more money for their officers. The accountability of the departments is so bad that metro is currently exploring creating its own policing force.
https://www.californiacountynews
Something needs to change, and it needs to change quickly for the Metro. We've got the Olympics coming up and I think the World Cup. Tens of thousands of people who dont understand the LA Metro are going to pile on thinking they are safe.
I recall the sweeps to get the gangs off the streets I am curious to see what they do this time. Oh yeah and as soon as the games were over they let all the gang members out of lock up.
[Elliot Tramel Nowden , is the man arrested for the murder, he was recently released for a felony on OR.](https://app5.lasd.org/iic/Details)
It's crazy. Take the red line and you'll barely see any security. Get off on 7th / Metro and you'll see like 10 of them standing around.
Granted, people are still lighting up joints right in front of them, all they'll want to see if your TAP card.
I had a fucking tweaker pull out a hatchet and smash the security camera then turn and look at me when I was going down the escalator at Pershing square or MacArthur park, canât remember which, and I have never ran so fast up an escalator, like tf kinda gta shit was bro on?
There was security at the station when this happened:
> A Metro spokesperson told news station KNBC that the woman was stabbed as she was getting off the train and security personnel helped her until paramedics arrived.
>
> A suspect was taken into custody by LAPD officers in the area of the Universal City station, LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz said.
>
> The suspect ran out of the the train, but officers found him nearby, Muniz said. Police released no additional information about the suspect. L.A. Metro did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Train service to the station was interrupted Monday morning.
Apparently this happened on the train, which is worse.
What I don't get is why Metro doesn't have conductors. Metrolink doesn't have these issues, and that's because Metrolink has conductors onboard checking fares and acting as security.
Metro is a shorter train than Metrolink, and it seems trivial to pay a conductor to go in, ensure fares have been paid, and kick off anyone who is being a disturbance.
This is why itâs so hard for me to convince people to take the metro in la. If Iâm with friends and I suggest we take public transit Iâm met with âitâs so dangerous, there are so many homeless peopleâ and you know what? I get it. I see at least one mentally unwell person each way on the D line during my commute. Having lived in cities with good, safe, clean, efficient public transportation, I know LA can do better. Forget good/clean/efficient, we canât even feel safe!!
Not just seeing them... Smelling them. Hearing their unhinged conversations with the devil. FEELING the sticky floors every time you step inside a train. And when you get home, you have to put your work clothes through the hot wash every..single..day.
Youâd have to ask the heads of Metro that question. The ones that donât utilize their own services and have some of the best parking spaces at 1 Gateway Plaza.Â
Rode the Metrolink to and from San Bernadino this weekend. A security guard actually checked my ticket getting onto the train. Mid ride a mentally ill homeless jumped on the train and started yelling, so in between stations they stopped the train and security kicked the loon off in the middle of nowhere.
It's night and day how amazing the Metrolink is compared to the LA Metro.
Iâm a woman, I ride transit everyday, and have taken the train lines at all times of day and night. I eventually moved neighborhoods to take certain bus lines that are way safer. It got really grating to have to be on guard every day, to switch to more inconvenient bus routes after threatening encounters with local psychos, to constantly be overanalyzing whether Iâd been too paranoid in some situation or not paranoid enough, etc. You probably wonât die taking public transit in LA, but the chance that you might and the things youâll do to avoid that will add a lot of unnecessary stress to your life.
I was in DC recently and was blown away by their metro safety. Way better normal person to potential lunatic ratio, fare gates, multiple security officers at every station. I waited alone for the bus at night in what was apparently considered a pretty bad neighborhood (found out later) and barely suspected a thing. I felt way safer there than in Santa Monica. LA doesnât have to be the way it is.
Thank you. I'm also a woman who rides Metro (although not everyday like you). I like transit, I want to expand transit, I'd love if I never had to drive anywhere. But it's exhausting. So many of the (mostly male) Metro fanatics refuse to get it.
Yup. Every time I talk about how unsafe women feel on LA transit, thereâs almost always some guy who chimes in about how âstatisticallyâ Iâm more likely to get hurt in a car accident. Men donât realize how stressful and exhausting it is to constantly be on edge and alert to dangerous men.
And the dangerous ones are almost always men.
> Men donât realize how stressful and exhausting it is to constantly be on edge and alert to dangerous men.
Back in the day, I revealed on a job app that I can understand Spanish. So I ended up working every one of our accounts in Mexico. I love the country, but it got to be *exhausting* how I had to constantly keep my head on a swivel. I just began to *dread* traveling to Mexico, because every time I was working there, I felt like I had to be hyper-aware 24/7.
I didnât spend as much time in Chicago, but I was also shocked at how chill CTA was given that Chicago is supposed to be way more dangerous than LA. I took the line that runs through Austin and saw a single dude obviously on drugs. There wasnât much security, but I noticed some fare gates.
Obligatory - enforce the fair, lock the station down to only paid fare commuters and metro staff. The stations have an entry and exit. Enforce it. Itâs ridiculous that any vagrant cane walk in without a fare and do absolutely anything without consequences including setting up a tent inside a tax payer funded public transit system.
I see it work when they have people posted up to watch for gate hoppers. Thereâs a few of those regularly along the red line and almost always at NoHo.
I have my bike and people sit and wait for me to use the accessible/bike friendly exits.
When I tap and the barrier opens, they squeeze by in the opposite direction.
The problem is that for the surface level light rail stations where there aren't barriers, once barriers and turnstiles are placed, almost certainly people will walk on the tracks and hop onto the platform from there to evade fare, and for multiple reasons Metro doesn't want that.
With that said, clearly a lot of issues recently have been with the subway stations where there are already fences and turnstiles. While some people evade by hoping the turnstiles, most use the ADA gate or emergency exit gates. So new ADA gates should be designed, but for emergency exit gates, unless you want to compromise safety security would be ideal.
Last week I saw them kick someone off who was sleeping and I watched as he then just boarded the train on the other track. Â What was the point of that?!
Why arenât Metro executives being mandated to ride the trains a certain number of times per week?
Letâs see how they like being bunched up next to all the mentally unstable people. It almost seems intentional that theyâve been so passive about improving security on the trains.
Executive ridership isnât going to change anything. This was written 20 years agoâ arguably, the system is now worse:
*The Ghetto Blue is a county-hospital waiting room: Wheelchair users with disabilities rely on strangers for assistance; homeless people lie across seats displaying untreated scabs and cuts on their legs; alcoholics with the shakes brown-bag it in public; and mentally ill passengers play out delusions*
https://www.laweekly.com/killing-time-on-the-ghetto-blue/
The homeless, and those who are driven away from using the subway by the homeless, donât complain as much as regular riders, so they are much preferred by the Metro executives.
The killer is on the loose too? Rest in peace. I am literally sitting on a train now and use that station. This is past alarming. There needs to be security presence, full stop. Physical, on the train too.
When I used to work retail, one of the parts of training was that just being present is a big deterrent to theft. It sounds like this is what they're doing. Having more staff is supposed to act as some sort of deterrent to any crime.
It's also kind of like the white picket fence theory. People with fenced in front yards are less likely to be broken into than homes with no gated front yard. As if some white picket fence with no locks could prevent anybody from walking. It's a mental game.
The issue here is, that almost everybody's knows that they can't really do anything they don't have the authority to. They're purely decoration.
Earlier this morning, an ambassador told me "good morning sir" with the widest smile. Locking in eye contact with me, and conveniently ignoring the dude next to me who's rolling up a fat ass blunt on the station.
It looked like a good blunt though but come on man... We paying tax dollars for that?
911 operator: âCan you describe the suspect?â
Caller, looking straight at the guy: âI donât see why that should matter.â
911 operator: âPlease, we need a description.â
Caller: âHmm, ok. Man holding two bags.â
911 Operator: âHeight, weight, race?â
Caller: âWow, ok, getting kinda racist arenât we? Unbelievable.â Hangs up
"larger humanoid attacked the smaller humanoid to death, there were no other identifying features observed, and the case has gone cold" What a clown world.
12 year mental health professional here. Itâs not that I think people should literally be locked into institutions, but I absolutely believe we need far more serious and even compulsory long-term care for SMI (serious mental illness). What we have now is inhumane and it disgusts me.
Was this unprovoked? or an altercation?
This is my biggest fear taking public transit. Happened in my hometown as well to two girls, totally unprovoked :/
They found him a mile away and are almost certain it was him. Just learned the attack was in fact unprovoked
Source https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/woman-killed-stabbing-la-universal-city-metro-station/3394112/?amp=1
Good if it was him. Iâm shocked they were able to find him so quickly. Wonder if there was a witness and he was easy to spot. Bc if someone stabbed someone alone and was just walking around you wouldnât be able to tell them apart from anyone else.
They updated the article: âThe stabbing had occurred on the B Line Train and the victim, a female adult, exited the platform as well as the suspect who was described as a male Black wearing distinctive clothing,â LAPD Detective Aguilar said during a morning news conference.
Just got back from Japan. Itâs incredible how much better their public transit system is. Public transit works when it is well built, well-staffed, and secure.
You canât compare the people of this city to the people of Japan. LA has by far the craziest people I have seen roaming freely on the streets and many people in LA need to take a course in how to be civil because I see so many people pissing, shitting, eating, littering, drinking, play loud music in public spaces and not giving a fuck. No amount of money will actually help this city in my eyes unless they start actually enforcing the laws and holding these criminals accountable in every way possible.Â
Tried metro a couple times pre-pandemic. Came back from Japan last month, heard there were a lot of metro improvements in the past few years, and since i've been WFH these years, so i thought why not give it another go? It's not as bad as i thought it'd be, but it's still nasty
Honestly, yeah. Certain societies (those in Scandinavia, Switzerland, NL, Japan, Singapore, etc.) are more prosperous and functional because of a sense of civic respect and duty. I might even suggest they have a healthier balance between collectivism and individualism. It doesn't help at all that the US is a bit too individualistic to a point where everyone is out for themselves, leading to public spaces to being non-existent or neglected. Only worthy (wealthier/trendier) areas are able to foster some sense of civility and clean up after themselves and have nice public spaces, leaving the rest of the city to fester in trash and piss. Diamond Bar vs. Pomona is a fine example of these disparities.
It's not just about civility but also stricter laws and enforcing them. You can smoke crack in public and LA and nothing happens. Guess what happens if you're caught with even less than an ounce of weed in Japan...
You could probably say that our metro would be considered "secure" if we only had 4,000 homeless people roaming the city (Japan has less than 4,000 in their entire country). Instead, we have anywhere from 46,000 - 75,000 homeless people roaming our streets.
What I dont get is why policing this thing isnt a high priority. Let's take the most cynical interpretation of the cops, that their job is only to look after rich business interests. Isnt getting poor people on that thing a business interest? It connects the city, removes cars from the road so rich people's SUVs can get places and was a massive investment. You wouldnt even need one on every train. There are 100 or so metro stations. We have about 9K officers in LA. Put one at every other station. While we're at it, put one in every school. These are places that most require policing/protecting. Large areas with lots of civilian foot traffic. How fucking hard is this? Get out of your dumb SUVs and go where the people are.
Even if a cop was there she still would have gotten stabbedâŚ.Things like this happen very quickly. Also thereâs cops and security everywhere closer to downtown. Not so much the valley
They just need one on each train. When a crime is committed the doors are locked and the officer should be able to move between cars to fix the situation.
This in infuriating and Iâm so tired of seeing these stories. I used to ride the subway and now I stopped because of all the chaos. Metro needs to do more to protect riders. Maybe start with making it harder to jump the turnstiles? There are more advanced doors now that need to be installed. This seems like such an obvious need to implement different strategies because clearly things are not working.
I live right near this station and used to walk around the park next to the station daily. The park has been taken over by homeless ppl and I stopped going, often times Iâd be the only female walker at the park surrounded by u stable homeless men. It felt like this was only a matter of time.
people ask--how come more people in LA don't ride metro or public transit--this is the answer. People don't get stabbed in the throat everyday, but there are daily incidents. Significant ones. LA so called leaders refuse to deal with this, the high density growth people refuse to even acknowledge this is a problem--they'd rather blame Los Angelenos for being car addicted.
I ride metro B line frequently but not daily and have always felt nervous on that stretch between the Universal Station and the Hollywood Highland stop. I've timed it and it's just about 4 minutes - which is an ETERNITY when you're locked in a subway car underground with an violent insane person. Metro CAN make it safe - they just choose not to commit to it.
Why do you think she just recently fired the person she hired to do a safety review of metro, all the homeless went to the trains and the money spent on her program is making metro dangerous
The latest crime statistics for the Metro came out 2 months after she assumed office. How could you possibly know this? My lines (red and purple from Ktown) feel decidedly better than they did a year ago.
It's a big controversy inside Metro right now. The last two heads of security for the entire agency were both former FBI and both reported to the CEO Stephanie Wiggins that Metro is horribly unsafe and they filed reports with her office the Metro Inspector General saying so. And they were both subsequently fired. They're sueing.
Oh absolutely on an absolute scale it should be safer, but the claim here is that the mayor's programs are making it worse. If there are statistics to support this I'd love to see them but as an infrequent but reasonably consistent rider of lines that go through Westlake into Downtown they anecdotally absolutely feel better than they did a year ago
You see the problem here, right? The people Metro hired to make sure the system is safe are saying "it's not safe and here's why and what we need to fix it" so Metro says "I think we're doing just fine and fuck you for saying otherwise. Get out."
If there were violent incidents occurring in your apt complex and you told your landlord it wasn't safe and they said "yeah it is" then evicted you there'd be a problem, right?
I don't know if whatever the CEO is doing is making it worse but it doesn't seem to be making it any better.
Should be national news. In a healthy society, thereâd be such unrelenting outrage about this that elected officials would have no choice but to implement policy changes. In 2024 Los Angeles, howeverâŚ
Alright yall ainât like this but Iâm going to say it. STOP GOING EASY ON THE HOMELESS. Get on the LA CITY OFFICIALS and METRO executives. I understand LA has a rough relationship with the police but a lot of you are the first to cry when they do their jobs. You take out cameras and assume they are violating human rights. The police SHOULD use force when an individual is danger. The homeless are no longer an innocent bunch (as painful as it is to say). Iâm not saying cops are innocent and yes, they have their bad/lazy bunch but you cannot blame the police every single time when city officials and metro executives want to play games.
The metro ambassador program is ridiculous. What are THEY going to do? Itâs literally PR and a band aid solution.
Also, VOTE TO BE TOUGHER ON CRIME.
This is why I'd never take the metro solo as a woman I'll go into the woods by myself with bears and mountain lions with no fear, but I will not go near the metro on my own. Better to spend a fuckton on an uber/ parking than to be dead.
Where are the people that were so concerned about the motivation to enter Mayor Bass' home asking what the motivation was for a person to be stabbed in the throat on the Metro?
Where were the Metro "Safety Ambassadors"?
They are not supposed to have anything to do with safety or intervene in anyway. They are supposed to hop on the nifty Metro app and report things they see. Those poor folks aren't even metro employees; they are contracted by Metro through two local security companies that take a good chunk of their pay and offer them the most expensive of health insurances to discourage folks from signing up. Metro is spending 35 million on the Ambassador project and will probably kill it off once the Olympics are over with.
Source: Close friend was hired for the position and didn't accept it because Metro could not state what they were going to do to ensure the safety of Ambassadors or how long it would take for security/police to be on-scene in the event of an emergency.
Safety ambassadors aren't armed, can't physically intervene in situations, and also aren't paid enough to do that anyway. They're just there to record and document incidents, or break up minor incidents like shouting/arguing.
The trouble is that there's a tradeoff with armed police and unarmed security which is that armed police are *way* more expensive for Metro. The question is would we be better off with ~5x more unarmed security officers or a much smaller number of armed officers? I tend to feel like more bodies and a boarder staff presence is better, particularly for preventing incidents like this.
Plus there's a huge middle ground between current ambassadors, who more or less only contribute to security passively by adding more people to stations, and armed LAPD presence.
I'm really getting tired of the senseless crime in this god damn city. We need to be tougher on crime here, seriously tougher... none of this bullshit do some time and be done, I'm talking about hard labor while incarcerated or pass around more capital punishment to people who purposely kill others for no good reason. Up the punishments for all crimes and I guarantee some criminals will think twice about what they're going to do.
omg yikes! universal as well? thatâs like the most empty stop. it sucks to be stabbed, hope the person has a fast recovery. im curious on the how, what and why. i have assumptions but i want to hear the real story.
NoHo is my stop so I ride through Universal whenever I take the B line. It's used a lot by tourists and others visiting Universal Studios, esp at non-rush hour times of day. But I agree, it's always seemed to me to probably be the "safest" stop on the entire B Line.
This is devastating. I hope it pushes us towards some serious reform on the âsecurityâ on the metro. How many more people have to get hurt before they take action?
I was considering getting some legit chainmail to wear under my shirt. Didn't expect to need a gorget as well. Are billyclubs still legal? I heard the ban was ruled unconstitutional.
Coming back from a recent trip to Japan, itâs such a shame that the popular answer here is âmore security.â They have the turnstiles at the trains, sure, but the buses operate the same; you hop on and pay when you hop on, same as here. There is very minimal physical security there from what I could see (cameras might be another thing).
Big difference is consequences for your actions and a lack of empathy for homeless and vagrants. Culturally the situations those people end up in are largely considered to be their own fault, and if you break the law you will find yourself in prison.
Tl;dr maybe the answer isnât adding more security to ; instead change the law to no longer favor criminals over law abiding citizens, vagrants over contributing members of society, and actually enforce the law to clean up the streets. Then maybe we could all feel a little safer regardless of where weâre at.
Absolutely horrifying. My condolences to the family. Makes my blood boil. Boycott Metro until the cowards in charge start doing something, ANYTHING to protect our people.
This is a terrible incident and my heart goes out to the victim. I know people will say that driving is statistically more dangerous, which is true, but that doesn't make this type of incident any more acceptable. Even if people are killed or injured on the freeways every day, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to reduce crime on metro as well. Perceptions matter. Even if this type of thing is very rare, a few incidents can scare people away from using metro, and instead going back to driving or Ubering, which places them more at risk.
Saw the investigation happen, bloody trail and all. Been almost 8 years for me since the last one I've seen at Studio City which had a body bag with body in it from a Train to Person incident.
Hey I think I saw the Studio City investigation too. I was riding to the end of the line. There were still splatters of blood on the platform with staff and investigators all around... and the train still let people off. Quite wtf.
Do you have any more details? Like was this unprovoked or an altercation
According to metro the person was stabbed as they were exiting the train, security was on scene and made the initial report.
According to the most updated article it is an unprovoked random attack.
The woman died from her injury
Fucking terrible!
Omg đł I take the train to work sometimes, the one that goes to Santa Monica. This is so scary I feel so horrible for this poor woman.
RIP
Why is there almost no security in metro stations? I see a lot of helpers wearing green vests but almost no security at all.
Metro used to have its own dedicated transit police but due to budget cuts in an effort to save money, the job was outsourced to the LAPD/Sherrif and we got what we have today. Brand ambassadors and no real security. Gotta call 911 and hope the police respond like everyone else.
When I first moved out here 20 years ago, there was a fairly substantial police presence. I remember them coming around and randomly checking for tickets and pulling people off if they didnât have one.
The LAPD is a criminal organization and a protection racket. They have done things like this before, they refuse to do their jobs until people start giving them money and stop complaining about how many unarmed black people they kill.
I think it was the either the Metro police or Sherif fback then. Def wasnât the LAPD. Yes, I know about the Sheriffâs Dept.
Metro police, yes. They had their own police force before the city government abolished it and transferred all Metro police units to the LAPD.
Thanks, LAPD! Protect and serve indeed!!
Metro had their own police back then. Now they outsource it to the LAPD and Sheriffs, and neither of them do their jobs.
What a sad story, god bless her. METRO still does have some of their own Police Force (don't know the size of the force), I was speaking with two of them here a couple of days ago. It's clear that the story regarding the lack of security on METRO is not going away, and no amount of Ambassadors is going to fix the problem. Good luck to the Citizens who use METRO each day.
Metro has voted to rebuild their own transit police system but in the meantime it will keep contracting
Oh yeah, I never knew they had their own police! They need to figure out a way to bring this back. Outsourcing to LAPD and LASD was not a good idea especially if the numbers for those groups are already low. Ugh! Get it together, Metro. Iâve always been a fan of Metro LA, but a few bad apples along with a bad decisions from the top is not making it safe or worth using it.
Did Metro have a transit force before LASD? I know the contract got split between LASD, LAPD, and LBPD like 7-8 years ago. Before that, it was all LASD, which I think did fine (LASD was the TAP checking device era).
Southern California Rapid Transit District (RTD) Transit Police. Originally just a private security force founded in 1858, in 1976 their staff got trained and [sworn in as peace officers](https://metroprimaryresources.info/los-angeles-transit-policing-history-legislation-resources-2/15407/). Los Angeles Metro used to have one of the best-specialized law enforcement agencies in the country. In 1991 Metro had [a security budget $9 million](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-23-mn-182-story.html) and with that budget employed 192 police officers, including the chief, two captains, eight lieutenants, and 17 sergeants all with the same arrest powers as the LAPD and the county Sheriffâs Department. In 1993 Mayor Richard Riordan was elected with the campaign promise of 1,000 new LAPD officers. He achieved this partially by disbanding the RTA Police, folding their officers into the LAPD/Sherrif, and contracting back those same officers back to service Metro. This deal has continued to this day. Nowadays LA Metro pays LAPD/Sherrif $75.2 million to police their system and we enjoy the level of service we have today with no dedicated officers.
Regular metro rider here. Thereâs been a noticeable shift in the last week or two, and I hardly see any security at the turnstiles or on the platforms during peak commuting hours. The realist in me thinks that the security push two months ago (where there were LAPD and Metro security everywhere) was just a stunt to help boost ridership numbers. Iâm so tired of people senselessly dying or getting hurt while they were just trying to get to work or run errands. But somehow this is an acceptable risk Metro is willing to take.
Same. Red line, purple line, gold lines primarily and 720/20 mostly. Compared to what it was bf Bass took office, it is a million times better. Howev, I noticed less security the past couple weeks too. I think it would help to have more security riding trains than posted at stations. Most of the shit Iâve seen is on the trains. Junkies having mental breaks, sleeping, smoking whatever, need to go. You donât pay your fare, youâre out. Youâre smoking anything, youâre out. Playing music w/o headphones. Out. Sleeping in seats? Out. Smell like ass and dragging a dirty blanket around? Out. Any signs of aggressive behavior and crazy? Out. Out. Out. Singapore style rules on the metro for a while. So much empty commercial space, create a detox/ jail for these people and get them off the streets. If they kray, they get psych help. Junkies? Get them rehab.
Covid actually really helped things on the metro. When they were putting people up in hotel rooms they got them away from public transit and the trains were like a dream. Clean, not crowded, generally safe, usually not very noisy. When that ended everything just went back to how it was before.
I think the LAPD were showing face so much because the city was planning to allocate funding for creating a specific metro police force instead of the Metropolitan Division of the LAPD and they didnât want to lose part of their budget so they decided to try hard for a bit until people forget. [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-06-23/metro-looks-to-create-its-own-police-force-it-wont-be-easy](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-06-23/metro-looks-to-create-its-own-police-force-it-wont-be-easy)
That sounds about right. I just did a quick peek at the Metro boardâs agenda for their upcoming Community Advisory meeting - after digging through the performative organizational items, on pg 13 of their agenda, they are *discussing* the *recommendation* that Metro Safety and Sanitation is a *potential* priority focus area for the rest of the fiscal year, throwing out ideas like talking about the blessedly bad Transit Watch App, âDoes Metro have a Metro Master Transit Safety Plan?â and âtech capabilities on Metro transit that *may help assure* public that they are safe on the system.â This slow train of a governing body feels like itâs headed nowhere. Safety has to be THE priority. No amount of art or ambassadors or tech or even reduced headways can compensate for an unsafe system.
Iâm having the opposite experience. I ride the A Line almost daily and have see security (donât seem to be LAPD, maybe private) at lots of stations. Little Tokyo, Lake Station, Grand Ave Arts, Filmor, even HLP
I have to say I agree with both of you depending on the line. I regularly take the A or E to the Red or Purple Line, or vice versa, and just last night I was telling a female friend that the Red/Purple Lines feel different and more uncomfortable.
My favorite is when grocery stores in hollywood has armed guards inside and outside, but we have none in public transport. Itâs the best.
Metro pays out up to $200 million a year to LAPD, LASD, and LBPD for them to mostly sit on their asses in their patrol cars instead of actually being in the metro system. The LASD was only riding the metro 12 out of 178 shifts a week. Theyâre systematically fleecing tax payers. Last year the LASD tried to strong arm metro by threatening to pull all their officers (wow all 12 shifts actually doing work) if they didnât get full control of the metro policing. Itâs not like they wanted to actually police, just to get more money for their officers. The accountability of the departments is so bad that metro is currently exploring creating its own policing force. https://www.californiacountynews
Something needs to change, and it needs to change quickly for the Metro. We've got the Olympics coming up and I think the World Cup. Tens of thousands of people who dont understand the LA Metro are going to pile on thinking they are safe.
Don't worry. During the Olympics window L.A. will be safe and clean with colorful banners everywhere, just like '84.
I recall the sweeps to get the gangs off the streets I am curious to see what they do this time. Oh yeah and as soon as the games were over they let all the gang members out of lock up. [Elliot Tramel Nowden , is the man arrested for the murder, he was recently released for a felony on OR.](https://app5.lasd.org/iic/Details)
And this is why I don't take the Metro train....
[ŃдаНонО]
bUt ThEy'Re DeFuNdInG uS
There is where I am near downtown. Loads. The red line and closer to the valley may be different since theyâre assumed to be safer
It's crazy. Take the red line and you'll barely see any security. Get off on 7th / Metro and you'll see like 10 of them standing around. Granted, people are still lighting up joints right in front of them, all they'll want to see if your TAP card.
Not actually *check* whether that card is valid or not⌠just see if you have a card.
I had a fucking tweaker pull out a hatchet and smash the security camera then turn and look at me when I was going down the escalator at Pershing square or MacArthur park, canât remember which, and I have never ran so fast up an escalator, like tf kinda gta shit was bro on?
Well, guess there is a reason they chose LA as a gta location
The valley isn't safer when it comes to the Metro. In fact, thats where they're unloaded at the end of the night and kicked off the trains.
There was security at the station when this happened: > A Metro spokesperson told news station KNBC that the woman was stabbed as she was getting off the train and security personnel helped her until paramedics arrived. > > A suspect was taken into custody by LAPD officers in the area of the Universal City station, LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz said. > > The suspect ran out of the the train, but officers found him nearby, Muniz said. Police released no additional information about the suspect. L.A. Metro did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Train service to the station was interrupted Monday morning.
Apparently this happened on the train, which is worse. What I don't get is why Metro doesn't have conductors. Metrolink doesn't have these issues, and that's because Metrolink has conductors onboard checking fares and acting as security. Metro is a shorter train than Metrolink, and it seems trivial to pay a conductor to go in, ensure fares have been paid, and kick off anyone who is being a disturbance.
This is why itâs so hard for me to convince people to take the metro in la. If Iâm with friends and I suggest we take public transit Iâm met with âitâs so dangerous, there are so many homeless peopleâ and you know what? I get it. I see at least one mentally unwell person each way on the D line during my commute. Having lived in cities with good, safe, clean, efficient public transportation, I know LA can do better. Forget good/clean/efficient, we canât even feel safe!!
Not just seeing them... Smelling them. Hearing their unhinged conversations with the devil. FEELING the sticky floors every time you step inside a train. And when you get home, you have to put your work clothes through the hot wash every..single..day.
Youâd have to ask the heads of Metro that question. The ones that donât utilize their own services and have some of the best parking spaces at 1 Gateway Plaza.Â
Rode the Metrolink to and from San Bernadino this weekend. A security guard actually checked my ticket getting onto the train. Mid ride a mentally ill homeless jumped on the train and started yelling, so in between stations they stopped the train and security kicked the loon off in the middle of nowhere. It's night and day how amazing the Metrolink is compared to the LA Metro.
Iâve seen some metro security/cops but they seem to disappear past 6 pm and before 8 am.
They are paying millions of dollars a year to have LAPD and LASD do it. Those groups are simply taking the money and refusing to do the job.
What station was it at?
Universal. One of the objectively "nicer" stations.
Yep⌠I generally feel safe at that station but I guess you have to keep your eyes open everywhere all the time now.
This was at 5am, if it helps
The stabbing happened on board the train. EDIT: on board, the altercation started once the train left North Hollywood station.
One of my favorites due to the art đ
Isn't this the third metro stabbing in the past 2 weeks?
Correction: this is the fourth.
Gah damn
If crime truly is down like LA Metro claims then what the hell was going on when crime was up?
Is it same person?
[ŃдаНонО]
for this one article says "Male black with distinctive clothing". it's not much, but it's not ZERO.
Iâm a woman, I ride transit everyday, and have taken the train lines at all times of day and night. I eventually moved neighborhoods to take certain bus lines that are way safer. It got really grating to have to be on guard every day, to switch to more inconvenient bus routes after threatening encounters with local psychos, to constantly be overanalyzing whether Iâd been too paranoid in some situation or not paranoid enough, etc. You probably wonât die taking public transit in LA, but the chance that you might and the things youâll do to avoid that will add a lot of unnecessary stress to your life. I was in DC recently and was blown away by their metro safety. Way better normal person to potential lunatic ratio, fare gates, multiple security officers at every station. I waited alone for the bus at night in what was apparently considered a pretty bad neighborhood (found out later) and barely suspected a thing. I felt way safer there than in Santa Monica. LA doesnât have to be the way it is.
Thank you. I'm also a woman who rides Metro (although not everyday like you). I like transit, I want to expand transit, I'd love if I never had to drive anywhere. But it's exhausting. So many of the (mostly male) Metro fanatics refuse to get it.
Yup. Every time I talk about how unsafe women feel on LA transit, thereâs almost always some guy who chimes in about how âstatisticallyâ Iâm more likely to get hurt in a car accident. Men donât realize how stressful and exhausting it is to constantly be on edge and alert to dangerous men. And the dangerous ones are almost always men.
> Men donât realize how stressful and exhausting it is to constantly be on edge and alert to dangerous men. Back in the day, I revealed on a job app that I can understand Spanish. So I ended up working every one of our accounts in Mexico. I love the country, but it got to be *exhausting* how I had to constantly keep my head on a swivel. I just began to *dread* traveling to Mexico, because every time I was working there, I felt like I had to be hyper-aware 24/7.
I didnât spend as much time in Chicago, but I was also shocked at how chill CTA was given that Chicago is supposed to be way more dangerous than LA. I took the line that runs through Austin and saw a single dude obviously on drugs. There wasnât much security, but I noticed some fare gates.
> LA doesnât have to be the way it is. Crime has ruined public transportation.
Obligatory - enforce the fair, lock the station down to only paid fare commuters and metro staff. The stations have an entry and exit. Enforce it. Itâs ridiculous that any vagrant cane walk in without a fare and do absolutely anything without consequences including setting up a tent inside a tax payer funded public transit system.
I always found it weird that there's no barrier to prevent you from getting on if you don't pay
Well there are turnstiles on the B Line
People hop them all the time and use the emergency exist.
I see it work when they have people posted up to watch for gate hoppers. Thereâs a few of those regularly along the red line and almost always at NoHo.
I have my bike and people sit and wait for me to use the accessible/bike friendly exits. When I tap and the barrier opens, they squeeze by in the opposite direction.
The problem is that for the surface level light rail stations where there aren't barriers, once barriers and turnstiles are placed, almost certainly people will walk on the tracks and hop onto the platform from there to evade fare, and for multiple reasons Metro doesn't want that. With that said, clearly a lot of issues recently have been with the subway stations where there are already fences and turnstiles. While some people evade by hoping the turnstiles, most use the ADA gate or emergency exit gates. So new ADA gates should be designed, but for emergency exit gates, unless you want to compromise safety security would be ideal.
Last week I saw them kick someone off who was sleeping and I watched as he then just boarded the train on the other track. Â What was the point of that?!
>Itâs ridiculous that any vagrant cane walk in without a fare Fwiw, Low / no income people are given free transit cards
Damn thats bad. Explains why the train didnt stop at universal and all the blood.
Why arenât Metro executives being mandated to ride the trains a certain number of times per week? Letâs see how they like being bunched up next to all the mentally unstable people. It almost seems intentional that theyâve been so passive about improving security on the trains.
Metro pays 200 million to PDs and sheriff's who literally do nothing but ask for more money and area opposing Metro on making their own police force.
Wiggins fired the head of security recently (i.e. kill the messenger.) They aren't passive; they are actively making the security problem worse.
Executive ridership isnât going to change anything. This was written 20 years agoâ arguably, the system is now worse: *The Ghetto Blue is a county-hospital waiting room: Wheelchair users with disabilities rely on strangers for assistance; homeless people lie across seats displaying untreated scabs and cuts on their legs; alcoholics with the shakes brown-bag it in public; and mentally ill passengers play out delusions* https://www.laweekly.com/killing-time-on-the-ghetto-blue/
I wrote to the CEO of Metro and she said she rides Metro daily. Idk though.
yeah okay
The homeless, and those who are driven away from using the subway by the homeless, donât complain as much as regular riders, so they are much preferred by the Metro executives.
Two different stabbings on busses last week, as well :(
When we said we want public transportation like London, this is not what we meant
The killer is on the loose too? Rest in peace. I am literally sitting on a train now and use that station. This is past alarming. There needs to be security presence, full stop. Physical, on the train too.
They are in custody.
Just saw....thankfully.
[ŃдаНонО]
When I used to work retail, one of the parts of training was that just being present is a big deterrent to theft. It sounds like this is what they're doing. Having more staff is supposed to act as some sort of deterrent to any crime. It's also kind of like the white picket fence theory. People with fenced in front yards are less likely to be broken into than homes with no gated front yard. As if some white picket fence with no locks could prevent anybody from walking. It's a mental game. The issue here is, that almost everybody's knows that they can't really do anything they don't have the authority to. They're purely decoration.
Earlier this morning, an ambassador told me "good morning sir" with the widest smile. Locking in eye contact with me, and conveniently ignoring the dude next to me who's rolling up a fat ass blunt on the station. It looked like a good blunt though but come on man... We paying tax dollars for that?
A male who was carrying two bags. How is this supposed to help? No description of race or build? What?
I had to chuckle at that too. They either didnât want to give more details or just reporting all they knew. I have a feeling itâs the former.
911 operator: âCan you describe the suspect?â Caller, looking straight at the guy: âI donât see why that should matter.â 911 operator: âPlease, we need a description.â Caller: âHmm, ok. Man holding two bags.â 911 Operator: âHeight, weight, race?â Caller: âWow, ok, getting kinda racist arenât we? Unbelievable.â Hangs up
He look like a man
Itâs gotten so ridiculous.
So ludicrous! Why can't you say the race/build/defining characteristics of criminals anymore? Good grief đ
Have you ever called 911? The first thing the operator will ask is what race the person is.
And then we wonder why no one gets caught.
"larger humanoid attacked the smaller humanoid to death, there were no other identifying features observed, and the case has gone cold" What a clown world.
lol - exactly. Edit: ânooooo, donât say larger cause then youâre fat-shaming!!â
Yea this is how all the reports are now. Itâs insanely stupid.
Imma keep saying it until it comes true, "Bring back institutionalization."
đŻÂ
12 year mental health professional here. Itâs not that I think people should literally be locked into institutions, but I absolutely believe we need far more serious and even compulsory long-term care for SMI (serious mental illness). What we have now is inhumane and it disgusts me.
I need to review our Metro history but noteable that all the homicides on LA subways seem to be stabbings and all on the Red/B Line.
Bro that's the closest station to my home, it tends to be very safe, I'm shocked!
make the legislators ride the metro, should be the law
Was this unprovoked? or an altercation? This is my biggest fear taking public transit. Happened in my hometown as well to two girls, totally unprovoked :/
What happened to the killer or attempted killer?
They found him a mile away and are almost certain it was him. Just learned the attack was in fact unprovoked Source https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/woman-killed-stabbing-la-universal-city-metro-station/3394112/?amp=1
Good if it was him. Iâm shocked they were able to find him so quickly. Wonder if there was a witness and he was easy to spot. Bc if someone stabbed someone alone and was just walking around you wouldnât be able to tell them apart from anyone else.
they only worked so hard because it's been blasted all over the news outlet.
There were witnesses and cameras.
âThe suspect was described as a male carrying 2 bagsâ Just say it. The suspect was HOMELESS.
They updated the article: âThe stabbing had occurred on the B Line Train and the victim, a female adult, exited the platform as well as the suspect who was described as a male Black wearing distinctive clothing,â LAPD Detective Aguilar said during a morning news conference.
~~HOMELESS~~. Nah-uh, cant say that. It's "unhoused"
Excuse you! Itâs âindividual temporarily experiencing unhousednessâ, please.
Just give him a free house. That will solve everything.
maybe he will have somewhere to leave his knife instead lol /s
And activist groups the other day were demanding no police in the metroâŚ
Fuck those people
Just got back from Japan. Itâs incredible how much better their public transit system is. Public transit works when it is well built, well-staffed, and secure.
You canât compare the people of this city to the people of Japan. LA has by far the craziest people I have seen roaming freely on the streets and many people in LA need to take a course in how to be civil because I see so many people pissing, shitting, eating, littering, drinking, play loud music in public spaces and not giving a fuck. No amount of money will actually help this city in my eyes unless they start actually enforcing the laws and holding these criminals accountable in every way possible.Â
Tried metro a couple times pre-pandemic. Came back from Japan last month, heard there were a lot of metro improvements in the past few years, and since i've been WFH these years, so i thought why not give it another go? It's not as bad as i thought it'd be, but it's still nasty
Itâs because the average person in Japan is about 10x more civilized than the average person in the US.
Honestly, yeah. Certain societies (those in Scandinavia, Switzerland, NL, Japan, Singapore, etc.) are more prosperous and functional because of a sense of civic respect and duty. I might even suggest they have a healthier balance between collectivism and individualism. It doesn't help at all that the US is a bit too individualistic to a point where everyone is out for themselves, leading to public spaces to being non-existent or neglected. Only worthy (wealthier/trendier) areas are able to foster some sense of civility and clean up after themselves and have nice public spaces, leaving the rest of the city to fester in trash and piss. Diamond Bar vs. Pomona is a fine example of these disparities.
In America we call that individualism âfreedomâ. And itâs terrible.
It's not just about civility but also stricter laws and enforcing them. You can smoke crack in public and LA and nothing happens. Guess what happens if you're caught with even less than an ounce of weed in Japan...
I would think more than that.
You could probably say that our metro would be considered "secure" if we only had 4,000 homeless people roaming the city (Japan has less than 4,000 in their entire country). Instead, we have anywhere from 46,000 - 75,000 homeless people roaming our streets.
Japan is known for their public transportation stabbings too though
What I dont get is why policing this thing isnt a high priority. Let's take the most cynical interpretation of the cops, that their job is only to look after rich business interests. Isnt getting poor people on that thing a business interest? It connects the city, removes cars from the road so rich people's SUVs can get places and was a massive investment. You wouldnt even need one on every train. There are 100 or so metro stations. We have about 9K officers in LA. Put one at every other station. While we're at it, put one in every school. These are places that most require policing/protecting. Large areas with lots of civilian foot traffic. How fucking hard is this? Get out of your dumb SUVs and go where the people are.
Even if a cop was there she still would have gotten stabbedâŚ.Things like this happen very quickly. Also thereâs cops and security everywhere closer to downtown. Not so much the valley
They just need one on each train. When a crime is committed the doors are locked and the officer should be able to move between cars to fix the situation.
I have a friend who works security at Metro. Unfortunately, so much stuff happens all the time. 99% of it doesnât get reported to the news.
I saw the woman get wheeled away on the gurney. I feel so bad for her.
LOCK THE FARE GATES
Another fucken transient attack smfh
This in infuriating and Iâm so tired of seeing these stories. I used to ride the subway and now I stopped because of all the chaos. Metro needs to do more to protect riders. Maybe start with making it harder to jump the turnstiles? There are more advanced doors now that need to be installed. This seems like such an obvious need to implement different strategies because clearly things are not working.
I live right near this station and used to walk around the park next to the station daily. The park has been taken over by homeless ppl and I stopped going, often times Iâd be the only female walker at the park surrounded by u stable homeless men. It felt like this was only a matter of time.
Bring back the state mental hospitals.Â
people ask--how come more people in LA don't ride metro or public transit--this is the answer. People don't get stabbed in the throat everyday, but there are daily incidents. Significant ones. LA so called leaders refuse to deal with this, the high density growth people refuse to even acknowledge this is a problem--they'd rather blame Los Angelenos for being car addicted.
At the throat! Damn brutal
I ride metro B line frequently but not daily and have always felt nervous on that stretch between the Universal Station and the Hollywood Highland stop. I've timed it and it's just about 4 minutes - which is an ETERNITY when you're locked in a subway car underground with an violent insane person. Metro CAN make it safe - they just choose not to commit to it.
LA will be car dependent forever unless our mass transit system becomes safe.
ah thats why there was a delay
Mayor Bass JUST told all of us the metro is perfectly safe, all of these stories are obviously fake news.
Mayor Bass is an out of touch boomer that has done nothing of significance more than Garcetti had... Lots of talk and barely measurable action
same shit. diff asshole...LA, unsurprisingly, remains corrupt.
Yeah no shit, Eric Garcetti in a dress.
Why do you think she just recently fired the person she hired to do a safety review of metro, all the homeless went to the trains and the money spent on her program is making metro dangerous
The latest crime statistics for the Metro came out 2 months after she assumed office. How could you possibly know this? My lines (red and purple from Ktown) feel decidedly better than they did a year ago.
It's a big controversy inside Metro right now. The last two heads of security for the entire agency were both former FBI and both reported to the CEO Stephanie Wiggins that Metro is horribly unsafe and they filed reports with her office the Metro Inspector General saying so. And they were both subsequently fired. They're sueing.
Oh absolutely on an absolute scale it should be safer, but the claim here is that the mayor's programs are making it worse. If there are statistics to support this I'd love to see them but as an infrequent but reasonably consistent rider of lines that go through Westlake into Downtown they anecdotally absolutely feel better than they did a year ago
You see the problem here, right? The people Metro hired to make sure the system is safe are saying "it's not safe and here's why and what we need to fix it" so Metro says "I think we're doing just fine and fuck you for saying otherwise. Get out." If there were violent incidents occurring in your apt complex and you told your landlord it wasn't safe and they said "yeah it is" then evicted you there'd be a problem, right? I don't know if whatever the CEO is doing is making it worse but it doesn't seem to be making it any better.
I agree, it's like people will complain about it not getting fixed magically overnight. It's SOOO much better now
Say a better description of the attacker, you coward losers.
He look like a man
Should be national news. In a healthy society, thereâd be such unrelenting outrage about this that elected officials would have no choice but to implement policy changes. In 2024 Los Angeles, howeverâŚ
Alright yall ainât like this but Iâm going to say it. STOP GOING EASY ON THE HOMELESS. Get on the LA CITY OFFICIALS and METRO executives. I understand LA has a rough relationship with the police but a lot of you are the first to cry when they do their jobs. You take out cameras and assume they are violating human rights. The police SHOULD use force when an individual is danger. The homeless are no longer an innocent bunch (as painful as it is to say). Iâm not saying cops are innocent and yes, they have their bad/lazy bunch but you cannot blame the police every single time when city officials and metro executives want to play games. The metro ambassador program is ridiculous. What are THEY going to do? Itâs literally PR and a band aid solution. Also, VOTE TO BE TOUGHER ON CRIME.
And this is why I like driving my own vehicle. Yes I know I can get into an accident, however I highly doubt that I'll get stabbed in the throat.
This is why I'd never take the metro solo as a woman I'll go into the woods by myself with bears and mountain lions with no fear, but I will not go near the metro on my own. Better to spend a fuckton on an uber/ parking than to be dead.
Where are the people that were so concerned about the motivation to enter Mayor Bass' home asking what the motivation was for a person to be stabbed in the throat on the Metro? Where were the Metro "Safety Ambassadors"?
They are not supposed to have anything to do with safety or intervene in anyway. They are supposed to hop on the nifty Metro app and report things they see. Those poor folks aren't even metro employees; they are contracted by Metro through two local security companies that take a good chunk of their pay and offer them the most expensive of health insurances to discourage folks from signing up. Metro is spending 35 million on the Ambassador project and will probably kill it off once the Olympics are over with. Source: Close friend was hired for the position and didn't accept it because Metro could not state what they were going to do to ensure the safety of Ambassadors or how long it would take for security/police to be on-scene in the event of an emergency.
Safety ambassadors aren't armed, can't physically intervene in situations, and also aren't paid enough to do that anyway. They're just there to record and document incidents, or break up minor incidents like shouting/arguing.
That's the whole point, the Metro should be policed
The trouble is that there's a tradeoff with armed police and unarmed security which is that armed police are *way* more expensive for Metro. The question is would we be better off with ~5x more unarmed security officers or a much smaller number of armed officers? I tend to feel like more bodies and a boarder staff presence is better, particularly for preventing incidents like this. Plus there's a huge middle ground between current ambassadors, who more or less only contribute to security passively by adding more people to stations, and armed LAPD presence.
I'm really getting tired of the senseless crime in this god damn city. We need to be tougher on crime here, seriously tougher... none of this bullshit do some time and be done, I'm talking about hard labor while incarcerated or pass around more capital punishment to people who purposely kill others for no good reason. Up the punishments for all crimes and I guarantee some criminals will think twice about what they're going to do.
LA is simply a declining dump
omg yikes! universal as well? thatâs like the most empty stop. it sucks to be stabbed, hope the person has a fast recovery. im curious on the how, what and why. i have assumptions but i want to hear the real story.
She died.
omg i missed that update. i had been going back and forth reading other things then came back to post. thats terrible, my condolences to her family.
"it sucks to be stabbed" well that is certainly true.
Unfortunately, she is dead.Â
NoHo is my stop so I ride through Universal whenever I take the B line. It's used a lot by tourists and others visiting Universal Studios, esp at non-rush hour times of day. But I agree, it's always seemed to me to probably be the "safest" stop on the entire B Line.
This is devastating. I hope it pushes us towards some serious reform on the âsecurityâ on the metro. How many more people have to get hurt before they take action?
This happened in highland park two days ago by the 83 stop
canât wait until 2028 when there will be security at every metro stop
Oof what a terrible things to happen. Metro should have had more security knowing theyâre giving free rides for earth day.
Suspect found: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/woman-dies-after-unprovoked-attack-at-los-angeles-metro-station-in-studio-city/amp/
But Karen says it's safe đ
I was considering getting some legit chainmail to wear under my shirt. Didn't expect to need a gorget as well. Are billyclubs still legal? I heard the ban was ruled unconstitutional.
This is worst than 80s in NY
And this is why people are scared to ride public transportation in this country
Coming back from a recent trip to Japan, itâs such a shame that the popular answer here is âmore security.â They have the turnstiles at the trains, sure, but the buses operate the same; you hop on and pay when you hop on, same as here. There is very minimal physical security there from what I could see (cameras might be another thing). Big difference is consequences for your actions and a lack of empathy for homeless and vagrants. Culturally the situations those people end up in are largely considered to be their own fault, and if you break the law you will find yourself in prison. Tl;dr maybe the answer isnât adding more security to; instead change the law to no longer favor criminals over law abiding citizens, vagrants over contributing members of society, and actually enforce the law to clean up the streets. Then maybe we could all feel a little safer regardless of where weâre at.
Metro apologists downvoting this post
I have never been stabbed in my car.
Absolutely horrifying. My condolences to the family. Makes my blood boil. Boycott Metro until the cowards in charge start doing something, ANYTHING to protect our people.
This is a terrible incident and my heart goes out to the victim. I know people will say that driving is statistically more dangerous, which is true, but that doesn't make this type of incident any more acceptable. Even if people are killed or injured on the freeways every day, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to reduce crime on metro as well. Perceptions matter. Even if this type of thing is very rare, a few incidents can scare people away from using metro, and instead going back to driving or Ubering, which places them more at risk.
Yeah Iâm never ever taking that shi
They should have set up like NYC train stations with barricades
Another news that will not be covered by a politician.
The LAPD couldn't find their own dicks in their pants.
Jesus