The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) has partnered with the Citizens League and the Twin Cities Innovation Alliance to apply a community-led engagement process to improve safety on the Metro Transit system.
Over the past few years, Metro Transit has been highlighting efforts to improve safety on the transit system. But the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis one year ago brought the issue of safety and interacting with police to the forefront.
“The concept of safety on our transit system also extends to how our customers feel on the buses and trains, at the stations and bus stops and near our transit facilities in the community,” said Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle. “Community members asked us, along with other governments, to take a critical look at our Metro Transit Police Department.”
The Met Council is asking community members to fill out a survey, attend a community forum or do both.
The feedback from the survey and the meetings will help shape the critical policy questions related to transit policing and safety the Met Council explores later this year.
“So many perspectives are relevant to this discussion,” said Amanda Koonjbeharry, public policy director for the Citizens League. “Our method places community members most impacted by transit safety at the center of the planning process, creating questions for the surveys and helping facilitate community forums. This intentional work is critical to assuring we’re creating an open process where people can be heard.”
Engagement will help set agenda for police review
This engagement phase will be complete this summer, and the Citizens League will create a summary of the engagement findings. That report will complement and help set the agenda for a more in-depth review of Metro Transit Police Department policies and practices to formally begin later this year.
“Our goal is to intentionally center our customers and our communities in this process,” Zelle said. “They will be leading the way as we examine what safety really means for our operators, our customers, our neighbors in community, the youth riding our system and leaders.”
