Security problems on the MAX Light Rail system first surfaced twenty years ago, soon after it opened. Then, the Governor had to put State Police on MAX to stop gang affiliates and rowdy riders. TriMet improved train and bus communication systems, but fell short on effective policing and station/park&ride security. The region has opted three times since 1988 to expand MAX, without a complete security program.

Weekday MAX ridership has grown from 15,000 in 1988, to over 104,000 today, with total ridership up from 120,000 to 310,000. The TriMet system is a rolling city, three times larger than Gresham, which until November had only 36 sworn police officers. Eastside MAX in Portland hosts six of the system’s ten highest crime stations (2005-07): Lloyd Center, Hollywood, 82nd Ave, Gateway, 122nd, 162nd. Many of these stations are isolated from nearby 24-hour uses, and lack Closed Circuit TV systems and emergency phones. In November 2007, only one third of MAX’s 64 stations had CCTV.

What TriMet is Doing to Improve Security:

TriMet initiated a comprehensive security plan in December 2007. It included hiring more police officers and contracted security, a zero tolerance policy for those who break TriMet rules, more enforcement tools for police and security forces, adding more security cameras to MAX platforms, increasing lighting, fixing faulty Ticket Vending Machines, increasing fare inspections, and limiting the hours of Fareless Square. After I and others testified in January, proposed changes to Fareless Square were dropped. Over the next several months, TriMet promises a public process to evaluate the future of Fareless Square.

To date TriMet has:

1. Opened a Westside Precinct with Hillsboro, Beaverton and Washington Co. on March 12, with five officers patrolling between Hillsboro and Sunset Transit Center.

2. Opened an Eastside Precinct with Gresham on April 1, with six officers (ten by July 1). patrolling the transit system between Gateway Transit Center and Cleveland stations.

3. Partnered with the Portland Police Bureau to patrol the transit system between the Sunset and Gateway Transit Centers.

4. Hired more Tri-Met police officers, and has its contracted security spending more time riding the transit system.

5. Extended "Interdiction Command", so police can immediately remove rowdy or intimidating riders from the transit system for up to six hours. Police can take repeat juvenile offenders violating the TriMet code to juvenile detention for up to 36 hours, where officials work with the youths and their families to stop the activity.

6. Installed security cameras at more MAX platforms, bringing the total to 30 platforms with cameras.

7. Increased lighting levels in 1,800 lights, plus installed floodlights at NE 82nd and Gresham Central MAX stations, and improved sight lines at MAX platforms

8. Expanded its Rider Advocate program so that a community-based organization rides the system to prevent disruptive or illegal activity.

9. Increased fare inspections, while adding the option for riders to purchase fares at station concession stands and fixing faulty ticket machines.

Still needed:

TriMet and the region must complete the remaining MAX security fixes, before the I-205 MAX and Portland Mall stations open in 2009. The expanded MAX system will excel at moving people and building communities. To accomplish these goals, MAX trains and stations must be among the “safest places in town”.

1. I will work with the City Council and other jurisdictions to commit the needed resources within TriMet, local, regional, state, and federal 2008-09 budgets, specifically for transit policing levels and station security.

3. I will work with TriMet and other jurisdictions to expand transit policing with unified staffing, coverage and presence, in cooperation with local police. Similar-sized transit agencies in other cities have many more police officers, and handle nearly all their own emergency response calls.

4. I will watch for opportunities in existing and future station area plans to add supportive round-the-clock activities and land uses. Portland should consider zoning and design principles in the Eastside MAX Station Area Transit-Oriented Development Study (60th-162nd), and for the Milwaukie MAX line.

5. I will facilitate public input and impact in TriMet's consideration of additional “state of the art” security systems, such as access control to station platforms and park and rides.

6. I will support funding for Rider Advocate programs, administered through neighborhood coalition/district offices.

Safety in our homes, on our streets, and on public transportation is important. For many of us, it’s one of the reasons we choose to live in Portland. I will make sure tax dollars are spent wisely, so that they make a direct and positive impact on basic needs like public safety.

To me, spending taxpayer money wisely and improving public safety on TriMet go hand-in-hand.