Title
A MOTION relating to the security of transit passengers and operators.
Body
WHEREAS, public transportation plays a vital role in increasing mobility and access throughout King County, with the transit division ("Metro Transit") providing more than one hundred twenty million transit boardings during 2015, and
WHEREAS, King County has a significant interest in eliminating barriers to transit and in providing passengers with affordable, convenient and safe access to transit, and
WHEREAS, ensuring the safety and security of Metro Transit services and facilities, as measured by minimizing operator and passenger incidents and assaults, is one of the goals of the 2011-2021 Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, and
WHEREAS, Metro Transit produced in 2011, a system security plan that exists to guide Metro Transit's efforts to maintain and improve the safe operations of its vehicles and the safety and security of its facilities, and
WHEREAS, Metro Transit will in 2016 undergo a process to review the System Security Plan and provide any needed updates, and
WHEREAS, Metro Transit has convened a security working group that is examining several crime reduction and prevention strategies such as a potential expansion of coach cameras or the deployment of transit security personnel based on real time reporting of crime that is observed by transit operators, and
WHEREAS, average assaults per month on Metro Transit services and facilities have declined following the implementation of the assault reduction program in 2008, but still average more than five assaults per month;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. It is the policy of the county that the safety of transit operators and passengers is of paramount importance and that measures should be taken to ensure that Metro Transit services and facilities are convenient, accessible and safe for passengers and operators.
B.1. The executive is requested to develop and transmit to the council a transit passenger and operator security action plan that supports the strategies outlined in the system security plan and identifies and prioritizes specific activities that can be undertaken to enhance the safety and security of Metro Transit's customers and employees. The plan should include, but not be limited to:
a. information about current security plans and programs that are being implemented for transit passengers and operators, including analysis of the relative success of these programs;
b. an analysis of the reliability and potential expansion of video cameras on transit coaches and the potential use of cameras by operators for security purposes;
c. an analysis of fare enforcement policies and practices and the relationship between fare enforcement policies to operator and passenger security, including lessons learned from the implementation of fare enforcement measures on the rapid ride lines;
d. an analysis of current staffing levels for Metro Transit police and contract personnel used to provide security in the transit tunnels and at metro stations;
e. an analysis of the potential benefits that could be derived from Metro Transit police and security personnel deployment based on real-time crime reporting;
f. an analysis of the benefits that might be achieved by adding dedicated personnel in the prosecuting attorney's office and department of public defense;
g. an analysis of how transit safety programs can be implemented so as to avoid disparate impacts on disadvantaged communities;
h. a comparison of Metro Transit passenger and operator security programs and incident levels with security programs operated by transit systems in other cities around the country;
i. a potential budget for action plan recommendations, including identification of funding sources and proposed funding levels for the 2017/2018 biennial budget; and
j. a recommended deployment strategy and a timeline for implementation of recommended actions.
2. The development of the plan, report, legislation and the amount of any proposed appropriation should be undertaken by the executive in consultation with county staff including, but not limited to, representatives from the sheriff's office, the prosecuting attorney's office, the department of public defense, Metro Transit operators and the Metro Transit police.
3. The executive should transmit:
a. the plan, including the work plan, and a motion accepting the plan by July 15, 2016, in the form of a paper original and an electronic copy with the clerk of the council, who shall retain the original and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers, the council chief of staff, the policy staff director and the lead staff for the transportation, economy and environment committee, or its successor; and
b. any proposed legislation and appropriation ordinances by September 26, 2016.