Portland's transit agency is accustomed to meeting with dignitaries and experts from around the world who swoon over TriMet's pioneering, heavily traveled light-rail system. But today and Friday, the agency meets with hometown officials who are worried about violence on the trains.

TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen called the safety summits in Gresham and Hillsboro in reaction to the beating of a 71-year-old man at a Gresham MAX station earlier this month. The incident coincided with rising public perception of lawlessness on the transit system and mounting frustration by suburban police agencies with TriMet's handling of transit police.

In recent weeks, Hansen has added more security guards to some routes and a few other stopgap measures. The safety summits, however, are intended to identify specific problems and potential long-term changes.

"We need to do more," said Mary Fetsch, a TriMet spokeswoman. "Let's hear directly from the police and law enforcement and elected officials in those communities to see what their issues are."

While safety has been a widespread public concern in recent weeks, the safety summits are not officially public meetings, Fetsch said. TriMet set aside no time for public comment in the two-hour sessions. Attendance consists mainly of invitation-only rosters; they're scheduled for relatively small rooms that wouldn't hold much of an audience.

"This really is a work session," Fetsch said.

Recent weeks have revealed dissatisfaction. State legislators in Salem prodded Hansen about whether the rail system was a conduit for crime. Police agencies from Gresham to Hillsboro have noted dissatisfaction with a transit police system run out of Portland.