Metro needs its own police, not contract police

About the publisher: Metro needs its own police force. The transit system has little control over safety because it contracts with multiple public and private agencies, each with its own chain of command and protocol. (“Metro’s ‘increase’ of police is not the long-term solution LA needs for safer buses and trains,” editorial, May 28)

Metro recently talked about enforcing a “unified command approach” while retaining all hired security forces. That works well for emergency response, but not for an ongoing operation like policing the Metro system.

The best solution would be for Metro to have its own police force. Then we wouldn’t need helicopters, SWAT teams, mounted police, and all the other special forces of a large urban police department. We would just need to fund a force that could effectively police our stations, trains, and buses.

We want a traffic police whose sole job is to ensure our safety throughout the entire subway system.

Carina Lister, Long Beach

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About the publisher: I don’t have a solution, just an observation about public transportation here in the US

I travel to Switzerland often. I don’t see any police or security officers patrolling buses and trains. I see young school children using public transport with no parents in sight. The environment is clean. No one there shows any signs of nervousness when getting on public transport.

Last month, during a two-week trip to Switzerland, I used public transport almost every day. The contrast between that country and ours is stark.

To quote Martin Luther King Jr., “I have a dream.”

Reinhold Bauer, Westminster

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About the publisher: In my opinion, safety in the Metro subway system depends on only allowing passengers who have paid their fare onto the platforms and into the carriages.

A wall with ticket staff would be much more effective than bypassable turnstiles.

Connie Elliott, Pomona