Metro launches weapon detection system for Los Angeles transit passenger safety
In efforts to make Metro safer for riders and operators, the transit system rolled out new weapons detection technology that it is testing at two stations in hopes of finding a permanent safety program that fits its needs.
As part of a one-year pilot program, the weapons detection technology was introduced to riders on Monday at Metro's Norwalk Station on the Green Line and the San Pedro Street Station on the Blue Line.
Potential weapons are detected as passengers walk through pillars with sensors upon entering the station. If a weapon is thought to be found, the passenger will go through a secondary screening.
Chair of the Metro Board of Directors, Janice Hahn, said testing began for state-of-the-art noninvasive weapons detection technology last spring at Union Station, and results were promising she said.
"You can't bring a weapon into a concert, you can't bring a weapon into a Dodger game, and you know you can't bring a weapon if you board an airplane at an airport, so you shouldn't be able to bring one onto our trains either," Hahn said.
The weapons detection pilot program will be overseen by Metro Security Officers at various stations, two stations at a time, for two-month increments over the next year.
Robert Gummer, Metro Deputy Chief, System Security & Law Enforcement, said the systems test an object's density. "Looking at a handgun, for instance, there's a certain density that goes along with that," he said.
Items of concern would trigger a second screening, and that would last up to 15 seconds, sometimes leading to a conversation with a security officer.
Gummer said there is potential for false positives, when something that is similar in density to a handgun or another weapon could trigger a closer look – but that would be vetted out through further noninvasive screening. Gummer said impacts to the rider are expected to be minimal.
Hahn said the program is not a stand-alone security measure, but rather part of layers of safety protocols within the Metro system.
She said other systemwide safety enhancements already in place include, higher fare gates, the expansion of the tap-to-exit program, barriers to protect bus operators, better lighting at stations, and more visible law enforcement, transit security officers and Metro ambassadors.
The Metro Board is to consider the weapons detection technology for the system's buses as well.
