Crime is up on buses and trains. Metro has a plan to make you feel safe
LA TimesMen followed her, made catcalls, leered. “What made me feel safe during that time was having friends around me, bus drivers, other riders.” Now an advocate, De León, 32, has pushed for a so-called ambassador program on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s bus and rail system. “I thought, OK, this is probably my best space to try to do something in.” Modeled on similar programs on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system and on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s system, the Metro ambassadors will carry cellphones and radios with lines into law enforcement and mental health crisis response teams. “I have serious doubts that the ambassadors are going to make a difference and solve some of the issues that the riders find most disturbing,” said Metro Board chair and Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian. “Ambassadors will help you know which train is next and ‘Where do I stand?’” Metro has said the ambassadors, although not police, can work with law enforcement.
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