Board approves $38.3 million SFMTA security contract after debate on armed guards and procurement process

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a $38,300,000 contract with Cyprus Security to provide armed and unarmed security services for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), after a lengthy April 21 discussion about the use of weapons, training and the procurement process.

Supporters said armed guards are a necessary deterrent for SFMTA employees who collect cash and work late-night shifts. Opponents warned that adding firearms to public spaces increases risks and said the procurement raised troubling optics. The final roll-call was 7 ayes and 4 noes, with supervisors Campos, Cohen, Kim and Avalos dissenting.

The vote followed several days of questions and a memo from SFMTA that supervisors said clarified training received by the armed guards and other contract details. Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin told the board staff had surveyed comparable transit systems and found armed guards to be an industry standard for protecting employees who handle revenue. "Every one of them, without exception, had as a standard practice using armed personnel to protect the employees that collect revenue," Reiskin said.

SFMTA security chief Chris Graborkiewicz described the agency's training regimen. He said state minimum requirements are eight hours of classroom training and six hours at a firing range followed by testing, and that SFMTA's program exceeds those minimums. Supervisor Scott Wiener and others summarized the training figures presented to the board as totaling roughly 70 hours initially, with additional requalification at a firing range every six months. Wiener said the expanded training and the agency's limited use — he said roughly 20 percent or fewer of contracted security personnel would carry arms — made him comfortable supporting the contract: "It is only those guards for whom it makes sense ... that do so," Wiener said.

Opposition focused on three areas: public-safety risk if mistakes occur, unexplored nonlethal alternatives, and procurement optics. Supervisor Kim asked whether agencies that do not use armed guards were reviewed and pressed staff to explore less-lethal deterrents and time-of-day deployment rules. "I just don't feel like I had all the answers that I need, to confidently support the contract moving forward today," Kim said.

Supervisor John Avalos framed his dissent around worker protections and pay: he said that if armed services were dropped in the future, affected security workers should keep jobs and receive the same compensation. Supervisor David Campos called for structural changes to procurement, arguing that a lowest-bid approach can shortchange worker protections; Reiskin said the agency had moved to a cost-and-qualifications selection process for the second procurement and had sought board approval to extend prevailing-wage protections to security personnel for this contract.

Several supervisors emphasized the urgency of protecting SFMTA workers who collect fares, particularly late at night. Supervisor Mar said testimony from security workers themselves convinced him the narrow set of armed positions is necessary; he read an employee letter into the record calling armed security "a must."

The board also discussed whether the city should require more extensive policies beyond state law to prevent future procurement optics problems. Reiskin said the city attorney had investigated and found no legal violations, but the mayor's office and MTA staff said they would consider measures above the law where appropriate and recommended any statutory changes go to the board.

Action: The board approved the resolution to authorize the contract with Cyprus Security. Vote: 7 ayes (Breed, Christensen, Farrell, Mar, Tang, Weiner, Yee) and 4 noes (Campos, Cohen, Kim, Avalos).

The board asked staff to evaluate nonlethal options, consider time-of-day deployment rules and report back on possible procurement changes. Several supervisors said they would pursue legislation or policy changes to address the ethics and process concerns raised during the debate.

Notes: The contract was described on the record as preserving armed services for a narrow share of security tasks; MTA staff said the primary purpose of firearms was deterrence and protection of lives rather than property.