Operators of the Metro Transit system and its law enforcement partners have made tremendous progress since February 2020 to establish a safer transit environment for riders in the St. Louis region. The foundation for this progress is the collaboration between Metro Transit and its dedicated partners in a shared quest to rebuild ridership and regain the region’s confidence in this essential regional asset.
The journey began 22 months ago with the signing of a new security agreement by Metro Transit, regional leaders and police partners. The agreement followed two years of hard work by Metro Transit, Bi-State Development and many partners, outlining a framework for providing transit riders with safer, more comfortable trips. Subsequent contracts with all three police partners assigned to the MetroLink light-rail system – St. Louis County Police Department (Missouri), the St. Clair County, Ill., Sheriff’s Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (Missouri) -- enable them to provide an armed, professional law enforcement presence delivering additional comfort for transit customers.
Like many transit agencies around the nation, the St. Louis transit service area presents challenges. It incorporates various segmented governmental bodies in multiple communities, crossing cities, counties and even states. Constant collaboration and cooperation have been the key to rebuilding relationships between the partner law enforcement agencies and the St. Louis Metro Transit team. While they may all wear different uniforms, they are now functioning as one unit across the 46-mile light-rail system.
The new attitude of cooperation is helping rebuild respect and trust among the partnering organizations and with passengers. This diverse team may officially represent different departments, but they all train together, team up on the MetroLink system and create a proud transit community. This team seamlessly works as one unit proactively often preventing issues before they happen.
The results of this collaborative effort can be seen in both the downward trend in crime numbers, upward trend in ridership, and by the progress shown in the quarterly independent scorecards tracking implementation of security recommendations outlined in the security strategy.
While the progress is clear, our resolve continues. Working closely with our law enforcement partners in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois, we continue to build on the accomplishments to date and are simultaneously working to improve the perception of safety for one of our region’s greatest economic development assets. We are confident that, together, we will prevail. You can follow our progress at https://www.metrostlouis.org/safety-and-security/.
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Taulby Roach is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bi-State Development, which operates Metro Transit as one of its enterprises.
