City of Edmonton to expand transit peace officer force

The city of Edmonton, Alberta, is deploying more transit peace officers (TPOs) this year in an effort to expand its uniformed safety presence across the Edmonton Transit Services (ETS). The staffing increase follows city council’s direction given to the agency in April 2025 to add 30 officers to support safer, more secure transit experiences for riders.

The first 15 of the new TPOs will deploy this January, followed by a second cohort later in the year to round out the direction given by the council. All 30 new officers will be in service by July 2026, bringing the total number of TPOs patrolling buses, light-rail transit (LRT) and transit stations to 126.

“These new officers will make a meaningful difference for riders,” said Community Standards Chief Bylaw Enforcement Officer and Branch Manager David Jones. “Increasing our transit peace officer presence means more proactive patrols, more opportunities for public engagement, better partnering with the EPS and a greater ability to respond quickly when concerns arise.”

Transit peace officers are trained, uniformed professionals who patrol ETS vehicles, LRT stations and transit centers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They support rider safety, provide assistance and promote fare payment compliance. TPOs have the authority to enforce municipal bylaws and provincial legislation and can assist in certain criminal instances.

TPOs are issued handheld devices to verify proof of payment by scanning Arc cards, tickets, credit or debit cards and digital wallets. The devices confirm whether a valid fare has been paid within the 90-minute fare window.

The city’s enforcement approach follows the 4Es model: engage, educate, encourage and enforce. This model aims to have officers prioritize conversations, guidance and problem-solving before moving to enforcement actions. ETS says the enhanced TPO complement is being added to strengthen enforcement efforts, increase proactive intervention and help reduce high-priority incidents on transit.

The city provides additional support in an effort to keep transit spaces safe and comfortable for all, including via community outreach transit teams (COTT), which pair TPOs with outreach workers from the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society; and community safety liaisons, who support community-led, prevention-focused efforts in transit spaces.

The city implements several security measures across the transit network, including:

• 24/7 monitoring: More than 1,000 security cameras are monitored around the clock by the ETS Control Center.
• Transit watch: Riders can connect with the Control Center by call or text.
• Emergency phones: Blue emergency phones are located on all LRT platforms and in transit centers to connect with Control Center staff. 
• On-train alarms: All LRT trains are equipped with alarm buttons, strips above windows and pull handles to connect riders directly with the LRT operator, who can request additional resources if needed.
• On-site assistance: Riders are encouraged to approach transit peace officers, ETS staff or other uniformed personnel, such as EPS officers, for assistance, information or support.