The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is on track to hire 34 new Code Compliance Inspectors (CCIs) by the end of the year – a 60% increase for the public agency. In the State of MTS address on Oct. 24, MTS board chair Stephen Whitburn said the new hires are fulfilling his promise at the beginning of this year to increase security on transit after safety concerns were the top issue in a 2022 survey of transit users. Whitburn said, “Safety is the foundation of the better transit system we are creating for you.”

Recruiting, training and onboarding the new inspectors has been a slow process, and retention remains a concern like in all public safety roles, according to MTS spokesperson Mark Olson. Many new hires previously worked for contractor Inter-Con, which has 200 security officers patrolling the transit system. Those security officers receive four days of training before being in the field for an additional four weeks of training, said an anonymous insider. In comparison, MTS spends four months with new inspectors where they receive bias training, de-escalation strategies, and rules to prevent excessive force.

“The training I’ve gotten [from MTS] has been such high quality, whereas the stuff that’s happening at Inter-Con, I think is checking boxes, but not giving people the information they need to succeed in this job,” said a former Inter-Con officer hired this year by MTS.

Code Compliance Inspectors, which are better paid and better trained than contracted security officers, also have more authority. They can detain people and issue citations for certain misdemeanors (usually fare evasion). MTS is not a law enforcement agency. They bring in police from whatever jurisdiction they are in when a weapon is drawn or a crime occurs. Still, MTS security employees make a huge number of contacts with the public, more than a typical police officer. CCIs and security contractors conducted 3,146,955 fare inspections in 2023— one way they interact with swaths of the public.

These security personnel also need to respond to a myriad of situations. In dense metro areas, security officers have been the first to call the police when a nearby shooting or stabbing occurs. Amid the fentanyl crisis, CCIs carry Narcan and have administered it to people overdosing. Even if a medical emergency occurs down the street, they may leave MTS property to assist. Fights, threats, and public masturbation are frequent issues. Sometimes even crimes committed in the vicinity of a transit station can cause security officers to respond, like when five teens stabbed someone to death on Imperial Avenue after he walked away from a verbal altercation at the nearby Logan Heights transit station in August.

In Whitburn’s address, he said security employees are being deployed at populous transit stations, not only on trolleys and buses. Trolleys and trolley stops in particular can be dangerous, with no supervision from a driver in the carriage like in a bus. “Riding the San Diego trolley is the most dangerous part of my day and I feel scared when I am on it,” one car-free San Diegan said. At a Mission Valley trolley station on Sunday, a man was stabbed for sitting next to a disabled man. Police have yet to apprehend a suspect.

Data reveals crime has increased in transit, despite it going down elsewhere. Less than 100 trolley crimes were reported in 2017, but in 2020, despite less ridership due to the pandemic, there were 125 crimes reported. In 2021, MTS began including incidents even if a police report was not filed, bringing the number up to 240. Olson said in 2023, MTS responded to 490 assaults, down from 591 in 2022. Of last year’s assaults, 202 were on MTS employees. Whether increased security personnel reduces crime cannot be known while the hiring process is ongoing. Data will need to be collected over a longer period, Olson said.

The majority of transit users do not have a choice about riding amid unsafe conditions – 70% cannot afford a car. More than half make less than $20,000 per year, according to Whitburn. Improving safety could entice those who elect to drive a car, even on traffic-burdened commutes, to switch to transit. Increasing ridership, and decreasing personal vehicle use, is an important part of the region’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More fares could also help the agency meet an expected $95 million structural budget deficit next year, although Whitburn said Senate Bill 125 could partially address this.

Ridership is not yet at pre-pandemic levels, but it has increased month over month. “Since the beginning of 2024, when MTS’s security initiatives were launched, there’s been an uptick in ridership…Ridership increases can’t be solely attributed to better security,” Olson said. Other factors like economic pressure, fewer work-from-home options, and less rainy days may also be part of the change.

Alongside ridership, monthly average revenue increased from fiscal year 2023 to fiscal year 2024, from $5,187,475.44 to $5,329,177.45. Changes made by the board to the Fare Enforcement Diversion Program could increase that as well. Starting in February 2025, riders caught without a fare will immediately be issued a citation rather than having the opportunity to validate or buy fares on the spot. An analysis estimated the agency lost $17 to $23 million in revenue due to fare evasion from May 2022 to July 2024, or about $1 million per month.

Whitburn announced other changes to MTS in his address, including new digital dashboards at trolley stations to improve real-time alerts. Construction of an additional 250 bus shelters and 300 benches is planned. A new express bus from San Ysidro to Downtown in the late night and early morning will help cross-border commuters during off-peak hours every day of the week. Trolley service in East County will improve with the increased frequency of the Orange and Green lines, plus a new Copper line between the El Cajon Transit Center and Santee.

“From making our system safer and faster to making it smarter and more accessible, we are committed to delivering better transit now for everyone,” Whitburn said.