MetroLink leaders hope security ‘overhaul’ will win public’s confidence in southwest IL
Officials with MetroLink are hoping that a shake-up to the transit system’s security that’s taken place over the past year will win over public perception.
Taulby Roach, president and CEO of Bi-State Development, which operates MetroLink, said in a recent interview that the overhaul to the transit system’s security operations and bolstered partnerships with local law enforcement are expected to increase safety and security system-wide.
“There’s been tremendous change as far as safety and security on MetroLink throughout the system,” Roach said. “Most importantly we have strengthened and codified all of our relationships with our police partners, and maybe St. Clair County is the best example.”
In late 2019, $35 million in contracts with local sheriff’s departments, including St. Clair County’s. were approved by the Bi-State Development Board of Commissioners, continuing what Roach called a concerted effort to “completely renovate” transit safety.
Through the agreement, off-duty deputies help provide security on the MetroLink system. Roach said in 2020, an additional $160,000 has been invested into bringing law enforcement aboard transit, amounting for a 60% increase in coverage.
Other investments in 2020 have included lighting, $1.6 million in new CCTV cameras and further investment into access control on the transit system. As of September, MetroLink had added hundreds of cameras throughout its entire system, Roach said.
Patrols have also been equipped with body cameras, to better help record and monitor situations on the system.
“Those upgrades are specifically oriented toward making our security system more rigorous,” Roach said. “Those fundamental upgrades that we need to support the security infrastructure is absolutely key.”
Kevin Scott, Bi-State’s general manager of field security for MetroLink, said the changes to MetroLink’s security system have amounted to a total overhaul.
“It’s really a comprehensive public safety rebuilding or build-out,” Scott said, noting that the changes affect security on several “layers,” which include field security, monitoring and using data to make the system’s security “proactive.”
Scott said the security people in the field are a small, but essential part of the system’s security. But technology and monitoring are becoming a bigger focus while adding that it takes full buy-in for the system to work.
“There have been a lot of changes over the past year and the team has worked hard to ensure they are effective,” Scott said. “Transit policing is a small component of the broader security structure.”
In late 2019, Bi-State also approved a 5-year, $28.5 million contract with a security firm, G4S Security Solutions, that replaced the former provider, Securitas. Scott said that partnership has helped inform many of the changes made to the system.
Roach, however, said a large part of repairing the transit system is convincing the public that MetroLink isn’t dangerous. He said it’s one of the major challenges Bi-State faces as it continues to develop MetroLink’s security and safety measures.
“Perception is important,” Roach said. “That’s one of the biggest bars that we have to get over. I like to say that ‘I don’t want it to just be safe, I want it to be comfortable.’ “
In Madison County, County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler introduced a resolution in July calling for Bi-State to “improve security for its transit services,” specifically targeting MetroLink and warning Madison County residents that riding the system could be dangerous.
The resolution came as a result of a discussion to disarm MetroLink guards that never came to full fruition.
However, Roach said over the past six months, the system has recorded a drop in crimes. He said there has also been a decrease in ridership due to COVID-19 that’s factored into the way the system tracks crimes.
In October of last year, MetroLink reported 217,000 boardings in the metro-east. In 2020, 110,300 boardings were reported, or roughly a 50% decrease in ridership.
He said when there are incidents, MetroLink’s security responds to those areas with heightened security through partnerships with local law enforcement and other agencies.
For instance, Roach said, in August, a shooting occurred at a MetroLink station in Fairview Heights. He said through Bi-State’s partnership with St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and the county’s transit district, which helps manage MetroLink in the area, fresh attention was added to avoid further incidents.
“We had a few incidents that came up so what do we do? We turn to the system and the plan to be responsive to the needs of the public,” Roach said.
But Roach said the work to improve the system’s safety won’t be finished any time soon.He said the goal right now is to improve how Bi-State and MetroLink have conversations with the public.
“Part of that is getting out, getting our message out and talking to everybody at every turn while also facing critiques and discussing issues,” Roach said. “I get this question ‘when will you be done with this’ and, quite frankly, we will never be done with this ,but we will be better.”