Charlotte council authorizes expanded duties for private transit security amid surge in safety concerns

Charlotte City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 22 to adopt a municipal mutual-aid agreement authorizing Professional Police Services (PPS) to enforce laws and make arrests in areas immediately adjacent to city-owned transit facilities, and to allow the city manager to finalize the agreement and related terms.

The action followed weeks of public concern about safety on the Lynx Blue Line and other transit services after a fatal attack in August that prompted renewed scrutiny of Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) security. City leaders and transit contractors said the change is intended to increase visible security quickly while the city pursues longer-term options.

City Manager Marcus Jones said the action is part of a broader push to shift some non-patrol duties to civilians and to add officers on the system. “We didn’t have to call back any police officers because our use of our civilian traffic control officers, as well as our civilian crash investigators,” Jones told council, “allowed more sworn officers to remain on patrol.” He and other officials said the municipality…