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Parents, riders press Nashville MTA for faster security changes after downtown station shootings
Summary
At a Nashville MTA board meeting, parents and riders described witnessing violence at the downtown Central Bus Station and urged immediate steps. The board heard a consultant—s security assessment and approved a new contracted security provider and a short-term extension to the outgoing contractor to ensure coverage during transition.
Public commenters at the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority board meeting urged immediate security improvements at the downtown Central Bus Station after recent violent incidents and a November 19 shooting mentioned by multiple speakers.
Board members heard a security assessment from Marine Tiger that recommended increased on-site security, a transit-focused police liaison, an unarmed ambassador program trained in trauma-informed response, improved lighting and cameras, and installation of physical barriers on buses. The board then voted to award a new security services contract and to amend the outgoing contract to ensure no gap in coverage.
Why it matters: Thousands of middle- and high-school students transfer through WeGo Central each afternoon, public commenters said, and parents told the board they no longer feel confident letting children use the system unsupervised. The board and staff said they will move quickly on near-term fixes while developing longer-term policy, staffing and technology changes.
Public comments and callers described a sequence of incidents that prompted their appeals. "Less than 2 months later, someone opened fire, killing a student just as he was transferring to the very same number 7 bus," public speaker Emily Bridal said while recounting what her son and classmates experienced. Ben Tran, who identified himself as "chair of the Metro Human Relations Commission," said his son has reported seeing guns and other incidents and asked the agency to "take security measures so that all Nashvilleians feel safe." Other parents described assaults and frequent loitering at stops near the downtown terminal and urged a coordinated plan with Metro Nashville Public Schools and Metro Police.
Consultant findings and recommendations: Marine Tiger presented an asset-and-threat security assessment that linked vulnerability, consequence and probability to prioritize mitigations. Lead assessor Michael Steinle summarized the recommendations as three tiers: policy-level changes, investments under agency control, and procedural items that require little funding. Key policy recommendations included leveraging the newly announced Metro Nashville Police transit lead (Captain Brian Williams was identified earlier in the meeting as the mayor—s transit lead) and creating a trauma-informed ambassador program to address noncriminal social and behavioral problems with unarmed staff. Investment recommendations included a security operations center for incident coordination, increased patrol presence at major transit centers and targeted on-route patrols, expanded video and communications technology, improved lighting at stops, and physical operator barriers on buses. Steinle noted many procedural items were already underway or complete, including lighting and bollard fixes at specific stops and camera maintenance protocols.
Board action on contracted security: Staff recommended switching security coverage to Archangel Protective Services after a competitive solicitation that sought firms with de-escalation training, GPS officer tracking and real-time reporting. Nick Oldham, presenting the procurement summary, said the recommended contract would begin April 1, 2025. The board voted to approve MA25009, giving staff authority to sign a three-year base agreement with Archangel, with two one-year extension options. Archangel—s baseline three-year not-to-exceed cost for the service as submitted was $8,172,170.88; an expanded coverage model recommended by Marine Tiger would total $14,112,905.28 if additional funding is made available. Oldham and staff said Archangel officers will not be armed and that the firm was selected in part for its reporting and retention programs and references from Metro agencies.
Transition amendment to existing contractor: To prevent a coverage gap while the new contract begins, staff also asked the board to increase the current Allied Universal Security contract by $540,000 to cover the remaining months. The board approved MA25010, the amendment to the existing security contract, so Allied Universal will remain in place until Archangel assumes operations April 1, 2025.
Discussion and next steps: Board members repeatedly emphasized coordination with Metro Nashville Police Department and noted the appointment of a transit liaison should speed cooperation. Board members asked for performance reporting from the new contractor after implementation and requested that staff return with performance metrics and regular updates. Nick Oldham and staff said reporting requirements and key performance indicators will be built into the contract and that both Archangel and Metro Police leadership will be asked to brief the board after a few months of operations. The consultant and staff also noted many recommendations could be carried out in parallel: procedural items, training and a number of low-cost lighting and signage fixes are already in progress.
Ending: Staff and the consultant said the board can expect follow-up briefings on implementation timelines, contract performance measures and the ambassador program scope as funding becomes available.
