Metro declares state of emergency following attacks on bus operators

The stabbing of a bus driver in Willowbrook this month, amid a series of increasingly violent attacks on transit operators, prompted transit officials this week common to declare a state of emergency in order to accelerate the construction of closed protective barriers for drivers.

“These incidents occurred without incitement or warning and created an environment of heightened risk and trauma as the attackers resorted to the use of deadly weapons such as guns and knives,” the senior officials wrote. the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of Los Angeles County in a report to the agency’s board of directors this week, asking it to approve the new barrier measures. “Given this crisis situation, it is imperative that Metro equips all buses with fully enclosed barriers.”

The move comes as Metro faces new concerns about the security of its system. On Monday, a suspect, who had previously attacked a subway passenger, was arrested on suspicion of slitting the throat of a 66-year-old Nicaraguan immigrant, killing the grandmother as she returned from her night shift on a metro train. This homicide is the second in the system this year.

The “emergency condition” allows Metro to bypass regular procurement policy in order to purchase tempered glass that had been limited by supply chain disruptions. The panes and kits will be used to construct enclosed barriers that will separate drivers from their passengers. Metro’s board of directors is expected to vote on the proposal Thursday.

“Crime is increasing and we have to do something,” said John Ellis, who represents six locals comprising 5,000 bus and rail operators working at the MTA. He said that lately the union has been fielding calls from riders, in addition to members. “People who go to work, people who don’t have transportation, just call me out of concern for their safety.”

Assaults on transit workers have tripled in the past 15 years, according to an Urban Institute study, and other agencies are also considering similar protections. If approved by the board, the emergency authorization would make Metro the first agency in the nation to install fully enclosed barriers on its fleet. The routes with the most documented assaults would have barriers first, but the entire fleet of more than 2,000 could be changed by the end of the year.

“This will help make drivers safer,” said Ellis, who has worked with Metro’s chief executive for more than a year on this topic and last week gave his approval to the final prototype.

The increase in attacks in recent years has prompted Metro to place emergency buttons on buses, train drivers in de-escalation techniques and add cameras on buses. Two years ago, fewer protective barriers were placed on buses, but attackers often broke through them. In the latest stabbing attack two weeks ago, the attacker managed to punch the driver and stab him in the chest. Ellis said the video showed the attacker grabbing the fence.

Los Angeles bus drivers have been shot and spit on, and last month one was carjacked with an airsoft gun. Across the country, union officials say transit agencies aren’t doing enough and have called for more armed protection on buses and criminal charges against those arrested.

“It’s sad because customers have to ride it,” Ellis said. “Our constituency public is vulnerable. You can’t put a speaker on every seat and put them in a box.

Ellis wants Metro to have its own dedicated police department, an idea that is being explored within the agency.

“It would create better security on that system, when you have dedicated police that only deal with transit,” he said.