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Committee notes bus driver safety report, asks LADOT and LAPD for cost analysis and to evaluate unarmed response options
Summary
The committee accepted LADOT and LAPD updates on bus driver safety, approved three Hernandez amendments requesting a pre‑execution cost analysis for a proposed MOU, feasibility study of alternative contracts/teams, and a report on using unarmed crisis response teams, and asked for a fall report-back.
The Transportation Committee on April 23 reviewed LADOT and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) updates on bus driver safety improvements and approved amendments directing further analysis before executing a proposed MOU for police security services.
The committee noted recent operational upgrades LADOT described: panic-button calls now route directly to LADOT dispatch with GPS and live-stream video; live-stream footage is retained for roughly two to three months pending verification; LADOT has selected a vendor for driver protective barriers and is finalizing procurement paperwork; and radio replacements for buses are under procurement with installation expected in mid-summer and a fleet-wide rollout by fall into year-end. LADOT staff said the barrier and radio procurements are budgeted in Proposition A funds.
Brian Lee, Chief of Transit Programs at LADOT, said, "We've now created a system where you hit the button, it will actually call someone. It will go to dispatch directly, our bus dispatch, and it'll display on the board where the bus is located and flash so then the bus dispatch can call in or see what's going on with the bus." Lee described additional road supervisors, a live-stream capability, and other measures LADOT is implementing.
Don Graham of LAPD said the departments have a draft MOU under review and that LAPD and DOT accounting teams are determining the reimbursement mechanism amid current city budget constraints. Graham confirmed the draft MOU incorporates unarmed response options and described the city’s screening process: LA Communications Division uses a “screen down” process, working with the Mayor’s Circle project, to route appropriate calls to unarmed crisis-response teams when criteria are met.
Councilmember Hernandez offered and the committee adopted three amendments recorded into the file for item 11: 1) instruct LADOT and LAPD, with assistance from the CAO and CLA, to provide a cost analysis prior to execution of the proposed MOU; 2) instruct LADOT (with CAO and CLA) to report on operational and fiscal feasibility of using alternative contracts, interagency teams, or experts in lieu of or in addition to an LAPD Security Services MOU; and 3) instruct LADOT (in consultation with CAO) to report on methods to utilize unarmed model of crisis response (UMCR) teams for bus-driver safety responses. Councilmembers Hutt, Park and Hernandez voted yes to note and file the reports with the amendments; the chair requested a fall report-back and earlier information if the MOU nears finalization.
During questioning, committee members asked how long live-stream footage is retained (LADOT said approximately two to three months and offered to verify), when barriers would be installed (procurement underway; installations may continue into year-end and require nighttime work in maintenance yards), and the expected timeline for radio procurement and installation (budgeted and expected to begin mid-summer with further roll-out into fall). LADOT said fares for DASH were reinstated in February and staff has not seen an increase in assaults tied to fare enforcement.
Councilmember Hernandez emphasized the cost-efficiency of unarmed response teams — noting UMCR responses cost roughly $35 compared with LAPD responses at roughly $85 — and urged that alternative providers be incorporated into the cost analysis and implementation planning so scarce police resources are not over‑used. LAPD officials said the dispatch screening process is designed to route calls to the appropriate responder, and the MOU conversation includes defining the tiered response model and how reimbursement will be handled.
The committee approved noting and filing LADOT and Board of Police Commissioners reports on items 11 and 12 with the Hernandez amendments and the friendly amendment that cost-analysis report be completed prior to MOU execution. The committee requested a fall report-back on implementation details and cost estimates and committed to an earlier return if the MOU approaches final execution.
