AK: These unarmed guards are helping bus riders feel safer and reducing police calls

Asofaaiuoiuni Kalausa patrols Anchorage in a small white car, driving around to check in on many of the city's nearly 700 bus stops and responding to calls from bus drivers as part of the People Mover's Transit Security.

Calls can range from an unruly rider refusing to exit the bus to an altercation, usually low-level troubles that don't rise to a call for police.

Kalausa — a guard with Securitas Security Services — has been doing this for more than two years, one of the longest-tenured in the program. His shift starts around 1 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m., and he's dressed in a high-visibility jacket with "SECURITY" emblazoned across the back and an embroidered "Transit Security" beanie.

In the two years since the unarmed Transit Security teams stepped aboard People Mover buses, riders have reported feeling safer, as gleaned from triannual surveys. Just recently, the municipality re-upped a contract to keep the contracted guards through November 2027.

On any given weekday, People Mover records about 12,000 rides, according to its city webpage, which is the equivalent of 6,000 passengers taking round trips.

While on the bus, Transit Security are tasked with enforcement of rider rules, including fare payment and orderly conduct. Often, they may encounter sleeping passengers or issues that may not warrant a call to law enforcement.

"Through de-escalation techniques and things like that, they can resolve the incident," Public Transportation Department Director Bart Rudolph said. "It's usually pretty resolvable."

In addition to the onboard security, a patrol of two guards is available for response. The roaming security typically responds within 15 to 20 minutes, Rudolph said. That's Kalausa's job — he responds when escalation is necessary to support fellow security officers.

"So if (a passenger is) drunk and sometimes they refuse to leave and get off the bus, then I go on the bus and talk nice to them," Kalausa said. "I tell them straight, they need to move out the bus when it's out of service."

With the ability to detain or escort people off the bus, Transit Security acts as a first layer before calling for the Anchorage Police Department.

"Just last week, they (security) responded to over 100 incidences in which we didn't have to call APD for that, they were able to resolve themselves anywhere from people passing out on the bus to people not getting off the bus to attacking the bus itself to loitering at the bus stop," Rudolph told the Assembly on Nov. 4. "It's small, little things like that."

In addition to rule enforcement, guards receive special training that makes them akin to bus ambassadors, Rudolph said, meaning they're able to answer questions about routes or guide a rider to the right stop. They're also trained to help people who may be seeking shelter by offering them contacts for resources, such as homeless shelters or where to find a safe place to stay warm. Often, security officers are equipped with resource books they can provide for free.

The Anchorage Assembly recently approved another two years of the program with the acceptance of the most recent contract from Securitas, which bid $2.2 million to continue the security work. A federal grant pays for the program, said Rudolph.

Additional security positions were added earlier this year, and the increase in staffing added about $371,000 to the initial contract, according to a Nov. 4 memo to the Assembly.

At the meeting, some Assembly members wondered why the program was a necessary expense.

"If we had infinite police officers, we would possibly not need private security anywhere in the community," Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson said. "The challenge always comes down to price and availability."

The use of private security, she said, is "both more economical and generally has been deemed to be a more appropriate use to use private security as opposed to having police officers in these roles."

Safety remains a priority of drivers and riders alike. In the transit system's latest strategic plan, safety ranked among its highest priorities, Rudolph said. The transit department airs advertisements at some of its shelters and on television to raise awareness among riders that assaulting a driver would result in charges equivalent to attacking a police officers — an ordinance passed by the Assembly last year.

Every four months, the department surveys its riders, asking questions about cleanliness, service and safety. In the year it's been asking questions specific to the guards, responders strongly agreed with the statements, "The presence of transit security officers improves the overall experience of riding the People Mover" and "Transit security officers are effective in addressing safety concerns on the People Mover buses and at transit stops."

As Kalausa patrolled on an early afternoon Thursday, he greeted riders and drivers with a friendly face, some recognizing him from previous encounters.

At a DeBarr and Muldoon bus stop, Kalausa shared a fist bump with a woman and her bundled baby, made space by clearing the shelter of wayward shopping carts and spoke with an older man who had no intention of boarding a bus but using the stop as a safe place for shelter.

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