Koznick favors stepped-up monitoring of light-rail trains and stations, with live-feed security cameras and public address systems to suss out crimes in real time. Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Classify fare non-payment as a petty misdemeanor to allow such non-sworn staff to enforce fare policy.”. Eight of our favorites: Minnesota teams and athletes send holiday greetings. “Beginning with the 2019 legislative session, we advocated for the ability to shift away from having only sworn officers checking fares and to create an administrative citation, both the change who is enforcing fares and to reduce both the cost and impact by removing the criminal penalty,” Zelle wrote. IndyGo is looking for energetic and enthusiastic volunteers to join our Transit Ambassador team. The ambassador concept was part of legislation proposed by both DFLers and some Republicans in the Minnesota House as a response to increased serious crime as well as lesser offenses like fare evasion, fighting, harassment, smoking and amplified music. A Metro Transit Green Line train arrives at Hamline Avenue Station on April 17, 2019. Less serious crimes, such as fraud and vandalism, increased 105% in January and 88% in February. The New Year will bring an important, new change for Metro Transit customers. PATCO Transit Ambassadors. “There are a lot of really important things in the bill that we need to get done, but we can’t get anywhere,” said Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, a lead sponsor of the initial measure. The East Metro Strong report authors said they didn’t know what they were going to find when they contacted other cities. Schroeer said his conversations with DID leaders showed that they think the area is safer due to the presence of police and non-police. “More police alone do not necessarily make a place feel safer,” the report notes. “We were struck by the consistency of what we heard from security personnel across the country and its consistency with findings from earlier national research on best practices.”. 2. Earlier this year, when Will Schroeer, the executive director of the business and government transit advocacy organization East Metro Strong, was testifying before a Legislative committee, he heard questions he didn’t know the answer to. While the plan also included increases in traditional law enforcement and enhanced video security, it was less focused on increased police and enforcement than a plan originally put forward by the GOP. Such personnel is also usually cheaper to hire and train than police officers. “What are they going to do if and when they’re challenged?” said Schulz, professor emerita at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. Senior Ambassador Program “People have been extraordinarily cooperative with Metro Transit’s request to not ride if you’re not essential. Metro Transit's current policy is to issue a warning the first time a rider does not show proof of payment, according to a news release. Senior Ambassadors are currently available to offer one-on-one training to any new rider who is a senior. Follow him on Twitter or email him at pcallaghan(at)minnpost(dot)com. Serious crime, including theft, robbery and aggravated assault, increased 27% in January and 13% in February, when compared with the same period last year, according to figures released by Metro Transit. As much of the country experiences spiking virus rates, a reprieve from a devastating surge of the coronavirus in the Upper Midwest has given cautious relief to health officials, though they worry that infections remain rampant and holiday gatherings could reignite the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. That’s because local prosecutors are loath to pursue cases over an unpaid $2 transit ticket. Officials say Dane County has secured a six-month extension of a program linking local growers with food pantries that was set to expire at the end of this year. The delegation visited Kochi Metro Rail Limited’s Water Metro construction sites, the Operation Command and Control Centre at Muttom and also the Water Metro’s boats being built at the Cochin Shipyard. Brown Community Ambassadors program. Do people who oversee transit security in other cities think they’re a good idea? There to support a plan to authorize the use of non-police staff for fare enforcement on buses and trains operated by Metro Transit, he was asked: Had a civilian response to problems like fare evasion and minor misbehavior on transit worked anywhere else? Torrance Transit also invited seniors to take free field trips to some of the places its system went, such as Los Angeles' Union Station and nearby Olvera Street and the local farmer's market. A report commissioned by East Metro Strong found that using non-police staff on buses and trains to deal with fare evasions and minor misbehavior has produced “genuine safety benefits” in other cities around the country. Add a substantial number of non-sworn staff as an important part of creating a safe, comfortable, welcoming experience for all Minnesotans and visitors using transit. Use it as is "off the shelf," or modify it to meet your specific implementation objectives. Why doesn't Minnesota charge a sales tax on clothing? That issue, however, did not make the cut for the very limited agenda in a second special session that concluded earlier this week, and a proposal for a small supplemental budget (which didn’t pass anyway) no longer contained money and legal authorization for the program. The Ambassadors will be answering questions and providing support at Metro’s high-ridership bus stops in downtown Seattle and at Transit Centers in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including Aurora, Burien, Federal Way, Kent, and Tukwila. We’re in this together. It requires a certain set of skills that combine enforcement and social work. What we heard from these other agencies was: We should have police on transit — there is a need for that and a role for that — and there are also other jobs that don’t need police to do them and are better done by people who are not police,” he said. They also looked at policies in Snohomish County north of Seattle, Dallas, Boston, San Diego, Buffalo, Denver, Philadelphia and Portland. By Peter ... Minneapolis police inspector Eddie Frizell and Metro Transit interim chief A.J. In addition, outreach is extended to communities with access to Metro’s transit system. report, completed in April, offers two recommendations for the Twin Cities. But they were struck by the consistency of the responses they received from transit agency staffers they spoke with, which often boiled down to: Adding non-sworn or non-police staff lets police focus on policing. The Met Council plans to try again. Do they replace transit police or assist them? “We recommend implementing the lessons they learned: 1. Lawmakers are considering legislation to authorize “transit ambassadors” to monitor buses and trains, check to ensure riders have valid fares, assist customers, and report trouble. If transit safety initiatives fail during the Legislature’s current special session, supporters said they’ll try again in 2021, but there may be more disagreement. Apply to Ambassador, Community Liaison, Practice Manager and more! A recent study by the transit advocacy organization East Metro Strong explored similar programs in more than a half-dozen metro areas, including San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Denver and Portland, Ore., and found benefits for everyone. One man's struggle reflects state's loss of 5,000 to COVID, U.S. to require negative COVID test from U.K. travelers, American Legion vexed by Richfield's moratorium on development, Downtown Nashville explosion knocks communications offline, One man killed in shooting near south Minneapolis light rail station, Ax-wielding man attacks Sen. John Hoeven's downtown Fargo office, Live: Vikings-Saints updates, pregame news and highlights. Steve CramerPolice officers, however, are a radio call away if civilian ambassadors get into a situation they can’t safely handle. Member donations are crucial to the work of our nonprofit newsroom. Make a difference with a career at Metro Transit! Crime on light rail, buses was increasing before ridership dropped during pandemic. New riders interested in personalized training in the form of an actual outing on the city bus, can contact Mountain Metro to get connected with an Ambassador. learn about all our free newsletter options, How an effort to address Metro Transit safety got left behind at the Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota election officials worry about shortage of poll workers during COVID-19 pandemic, How one Minnesota county managed to limit the impact of a second wave of COVID-19, The feds just announced over $400 million for rural broadband in Minnesota — three quarters of it is going to one small company with limited fiber optic experience, Comparing Minnesota’s COVID-19 death rate to rest of the country and the world, What you need to know about Minnesota’s plan to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, Why one Minnesota district decided to keep elementary students in school, even as COVID-19 cases climb across the state, Line 3: The time for delays and obstruction is over, GOP Sen. Relph remembered for work on mental health issues, In 2020, facades and monuments keep falling, Unsettling narratives: Advancing genocide education in Minnesota, State plans to suspend liquor licenses of three more restaurants for defying COVID rules. Besides enforcing fares, they would deal with minor incidents so police can focus on more serious crime. “That role is more robust in terms of the responsibilities,” Cramer said. Dorothy Schulz, a retired captain of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Police Department in New York, said she’s “not a great believer” in the concept of unarmed transit ambassadors. Remember to wear a face covering while you're riding, on a … Turns out ‘ambassadors’ would make Metro Transit trains and buses safer. “Police can police more and the ambassadors can be the eyes and ears of the transit system,” said Will Schroeer, the group’s executive director. The most prominent idea involved deploying unarmed ambassadors to collect fares, connect passengers experiencing homelessness or mental illness with social services, and tamp down smoking and drinking aboard Metro Transit vehicles. The eyes-and-ears campaign could also add non-uniformed transit ambassadors, who are now used for customer assistance and crowd control during large events. The concept of using non-transit police staff on buses and trains was part of legislation proposed by both DFLers and some Republicans in the Minnesota House as a response to increased serious crime as well as lesser offenses like fare evasion, fighting, harassment, smoking and amplified music. The Hyderabad Metro Rail – Brand Ambassadors Campaign was conceptualized and promoted by L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited. Sandee Ditt, who helps manage the Ambassador program, is the subject of this month's "Inside Sound Transit," our regular feature on the people working to … A slimmed-down proposal pitched in June’s special session that decriminalized fare evasion and embraced transit ambassadors foundered. The $3.5 million project normally has 75-80 people working the 120-block downtown area in the summer. “If we had a magic wand and could hire all the police in the world, we wouldn’t do it because it’s not what we want downtown Minneapolis to feel like.”. Transit ridership dropped precipitously when the pandemic hit, but before then, crime continued to rise on Twin Cities trains and buses. 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