It started as an idea: What if LA Metro had its own police department to better reduce crime?
That notion grew out of frustration with coverage from LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrolling buses and trains, with critics and board members saying officers didn’t actually ride, but stood at stations and depots or stayed in patrol cars. Also, Metro could not direct their coverage.
Board members and others have said LAPD officers assigned to transit duty did so mostly for the overtime pay. Establishing a dedicated public safety force will give the agency more control over how to deploy patrols, Metro officials said.
Then, in June 2024, the transportation agency’s board of directors voted to form its own force. On May 28, almost two years later, the effort went off to a surprisingly strong start. In the first 24 hours of recruitment, LA Metro had received 950 applications, Metro reported last week.
“We are excited to mark this important milestone as we begin this critical phase of building out Metro’s own Department of Public Safety (DPS),” said CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
As of June 11, that number had increased to 2,468 applicants, said William Scott, the former San Francisco PD chief of police who was hired to head LA Metro’s DPS a year ago.
The number of future recruits is high, especially since LAPD and the Sheriff’s Department are fraught with openings and increasingly pushing hard for new applicants.
With Scott intending to hire a maximum of 630 sworn officers to fill out his new force, that’s four times as many applicants received than needed. And recruitment is only two weeks underway and he expects more applications.
One reason for the avalanche of applications could be the competitive salary.
An entry level, LA Metro police officer would earn up to $132,499 per year. A lateral police officer who brings law enforcement experience would earn up to $142,521 per year, the LA Metro applications website https://www.joinmetrodps.com/ says.
For comparison, an entry-level LAPD officer would earn between $86,192 and $91,224, according to the joinlapd.com website.
