Twin Cities’ Metro Transit prepares to hire more security staff, officers to further serious crime drop
Metro Transit announced there will be an even more visible and coordinated official presence of its staff on light-rail vehicles and in stations going into the winter.
Through a coordinated effort, Metro Transit police officers, community service officers, Transit Riders Investment Program (TRIP) agents and supplemental security officers will be patrolling and highly visible during peak travel times and near the end of service.
“Nothing is more important to us than providing a consistently safe, clean and welcoming experience on transit,” said Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras. “Our customers have told us they feel safer when we are highly visible, so we are working hard to coordinate and expand all our layers of official presence this winter and beyond.”
Metro Transit employs 116 police officers and 26 community service officers (CSOs), marking the highest staffing levels for Metro Transit Police Department since 2021. The agency says it will end the year with around 100 TRIP agents. Additionally, more than 200 supplemental security officers are in the process of being trained to provide coverage at high-traffic locations throughout the Twin Cities system.
Metro Transit notes that serious crime is down 21% systemwide. Meanwhile, officer-initiated calls for service, a metric showing police officer activity levels in the system, are up 129% compared to last year.
“We've improved public safety on our system, but our job is not done until every rider feels safe on every trip,” said Metro Transit Police Department Interim Chief Joseph Dotseth. “We look forward to building on this momentum by working collaboratively with all those focused on providing a safe, clean and welcoming experience for our riders.”
Supplemental security expanding in December
To supplement the presence from police officers, CSOs and TRIP agents onboard, Metro Transit has entered into a contract with Inter-Con Security to have additional security officers stationed at 15 busy boarding locations for up to 24 hours a day. Security officers are currently staffed and active at nine locations.
Locations where security will be added include the METRO Green Line’s Snelling Avenue Station and the Blue Line’s Warehouse District and Nicollet Mall stations. The new supplemental security contract will take effect on Nov. 30, 2025.
Proposed budget increases focus on safety and security
For its 2026 budget, Metro Transit allocated funding to continue hiring police officers, CSOs and TRIP agents, as well as maintenance staff focused on cleaning and repair.
The agency also launched a recruitment campaign focused on attracting more police officers. A program that provides CSOs tuition assistance as they pursue law enforcement degrees will also continue. TRIP agents will be continually hired throughout 2026, allowing them to be a grander present on light rail and bus rapid transit lines going forward.
Downtown Council President and CEO Adam Duininck says the continued focus on improving the rider experience is an important part of the larger effort to make downtown Minneapolis an attractive place to live, work and play.
“A safe, reliable and robust transit system is integral to downtown Minneapolis,” Duininck said. “We are excited to continue partnering with and supporting Metro Transit as we all work together to make downtown an even more attractive destination for workers, residents and eventgoers.”