Drafter

Clerk 09/02/2016

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A MOTION accepting a transit passenger and operator security action plan to enhance the safety and security of transit customers and employees, in response to Motion 14595.

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                     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, ensuring the safety and security of Metro Transit services and facilities, as measured by minimizing operator and passenger disturbances and assaults, is one of the goals of the 2011-2021 Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, and

                     WHEREAS, 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, and

                     WHEREAS, Metro Transit has a system security plan to guide its efforts to maintain and improve the safety and security of its operations and facilities, and

                     WHEREAS, the council requested that the executive develop and transmit to council a transit passengers 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, and

                     WHEREAS, the plan should include, but not be limited to:

                     1.  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;

                     2.  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;

                     3.  An analysis of the 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;

                     4.  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;

                     5.  An analysis of the potential benefits that could be derived from Metro Transit police and security personnel deployment based on real-time crime reporting;

                     6.  An analysis of the benefits that might be achieved by adding dedicated personnel in the prosecuting attorney's office and department of public defense;

                     7.  How transit safety programs can be implemented so as to avoid disparate impacts on disadvantaged communities;

                     8.  A comparison of Metro Transit passenger and operator security programs and incident levels with security programs operated by transit system in other cities around the country;

                     9.  A potential budget for action plan recommendations, including identification of funding sources and proposed funding levels for the 2017/2018 biennial budget; and

                     10.  A recommended deployment strategy and a timeline for implementation for the recommended actions, and

                     WHEREAS, the plan and report 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;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     The action plan in response to Motion 14595, Attachment A to this motion, is hereby accepted.