On Monday, a new weapons detection system was installed at the C-Line's Norwalk station to prevent passengers from bringing weapons onboard the train.
It’s part of a one-year pilot program officials are starting at several stations. Carlos Rico, senior manager of system security and law enforcement at LA Metro, spoke with KNX News Jon Baird about the program.
“We're initially beginning the pilot on the rail side…but we are working on implementing this as well at some of our bus transit centers and on buses themselves,” he said.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn told Baird that safety is her number one priority.
"We're always trying to grow our system, get more people to take transit, get more cars off the freeway," she said, "But a lot of people are hesitant to take it because they don't feel safe because they read about stories where people are getting shot and knives and lead pipes, and so it's been my goal to keep these weapons off our system. But there are some people that don't have the luxury of making the choice either to ride it or not ride it. They have to ride it. They don't even have cars, and they're taking two and three buses and a train just to survive every single day. So for those people, I want to make it safe.
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This new technology comes months after Metro officials installed a similiar scanner to detect concealed weapons at Union Station.
A surge of violence last year prompted Metro officials to take action, including Mayor Karen Bass ordering a ‘surge’ of police on the transit system.
Some Metro riders told Baird that they believe that Metro still needs to have more police officers or sheriff’s deputies actually patrolling the trains and buses.
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