CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-22-70 ENACTMENT NO. ____________
SPONSORED BY: Klarissa J Peña
RESOLUTION
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Requiring A Transit System Security Incident Response Tactical Plan, Quarterly Reporting Of Security Calls For Service In The Transit System, And Development Of A Long-Term Security Plan, For The Operations And Facilities Of The Albuquerque Transit Department (Peña)
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WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque operates Albuquerque Ride and Sun Van Paratransit which tender transit services to the Citizens of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, providing millions of rides a year; and
WHEREAS, these services are a low-emissions and zero fare alternative to automobiles for commuters, and are the primary means of transport for tens of thousands of persons who qualify as “Transit Dependent’ in Bernalillo County by the Federal Transit Administration of the United States Department of Transportation; and
WHEREAS, as with other transit agencies throughout the United States, security on board Albuquerque Ride Coaches, Sun Van Paratransit Vehicles, at bus stops and at transit stations, is becoming of increasing concern, to both the drivers of transit vehicles and passengers. These concerns, if left unattended to, will overtime deter passengers from using transit and impede the recruitment and retention of motor-coach and paratransit vehicle operators; and
WHEREAS, an important management tool of public safety is the maintenance of high visibility facilities and equipment in prime condition to encourage patrons to use the asset constructively and not in a destructive manner. The Transit Department manages a large number of bus stops with benches, and bus shelters and ART Bus Stations. Providing premium maintenance of these stations is necessary to deter loitering and vandalism, and to promote comfort and enjoyment by the public; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that the City of Albuquerque develop and implement a strategy to address security concerns on the transit system, including, creating near term, action plans to improve responses to incidents on transit vehicles, at bus stops and at transit stations, better tracking and analyzing security incidents and trends and developing and implementing a long-term public transit safety strategy.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE;
SECTION 1. The City Administration shall form a collaborative effort amongst relevant City Departments, which may include but is not limited to, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Metro Security Division of the Department of General Services, the Albuquerque Transit Department, and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department, to develop a tactical plan to respond to security calls for service on Albuquerque Ride motor coaches, Sun Van paratransit vehicles and at bus stops and transit stations. The tactical plan shall:
A. Address all levels of calls ranging from low priority incidences to higher priority situations where health and safety are at risk for motor coach and van operators and passengers.
B. Develop a procedure, to prevent access to transit by individuals who have been abusive or dangerous toward drivers or the public, on an ABQ RIDE motor-coach, a Sun Van paratransit vehicle, at bus stop, or a transit station, by causing them to lose access to transit for an appropriate period of time via a trespass citation or other appropriate means. The procedure shall also include a process for:
a. Distributing to relevant Transit Department personnel a continually updated list of persons who have lost their access to the transit system.
b. A program for training Transit Department personnel on the procedures to follow when they encounter attempted bus usage by an individual who has lost their access.
c. A list of procedures for removing a person who has lost access from an ABQ Ride motor-coach, a Sunvan paratransit vehicle a bus stop or transit station or other facility.
C. The plan shall layout a process to most effectively utilize video and communications technologies currently embedded on the motor-coach and paratransit fleet to improve communications between the motor-coach operators, the Transit Department’s Operations Center, and the Metro Security Division, the Albuquerque Police Department and Albuquerque Community Safety Department.
The Transit Department operates routes in unincorporated Bernalillo County and therefore the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department shall be invited to participate in this initiative. The tactical plan shall be communicated to the Director of the City Council Services Division through an Interoffice-Memo thirty days after the publishing of this Resolution.
SECTION 2. The Albuquerque Police Department, the Metro Security Division of the Department of General Services, the Albuquerque Community Safety Department and the Albuquerque Transit Department shall, starting in the 2nd quarter of Fiscal Year 23, compile on a quarterly basis, statistics on calls for security service to Albuquerque Ride motor-coaches, Sun Van paratransit vehicles, and the bus stops and stations of the Albuquerque Transit Department. The database shall include calls for service made to the Metro Security Division, the Albuquerque Police Department and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department. The data shall be categorized by the total number of calls for services by type of incident as classified in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting System. The data shall also include the number and types of calls for service by route, including on motor-coaches, and paratransit vans, and at bus stops and transit facilities. The data shall be communicated to the City Council by Executive Communication within 30 days of the conclusion of the quarterly reporting period.
SECTION 3. The Albuquerque Transit Department, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Metro Security Division of the Department of General Services, and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department with the assistance for the City Council Services Department shall conduct a study to develop a security program for the Albuquerque Ride Route system and the Sun Van systems, and the Transit Department’s bus stops and transit stations. The study shall include the following objectives:
A. Identify best practices for transit security systems recommended by the Federal Transit Administration.
B. Provide a list of best practices used by transit agencies throughout the United States.
C. Identify an organizational structure for a security organization that respects the culture and traditions of the Albuquerque community and provides an appropriate level of security for the Albuquerque Ride and Sun Van paratransit systems including:
a. Recommending if security should be a component of the Transit Department or continue to be provided through the services of the Albuquerque Police Department, the Metropolitan Security Division, and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department.
b. If operation is recommended to be a stand-alone division within the Transit Department, the recommendation should include but is not limited to the following:
i. If the Division will be a transit security service, or transit police service, or community safety outreach service or a combination of the above,
ii. If the Division will include a training academy,
iii. The anticipated budget,
iv. The appropriate staffing level and pay schedule,
v. If there will be a civilian oversight board for the transit security or if it will come under the existing Civilian Police Oversite Agency, and
vi. If the Division will be subject to the CASA with the
Department of Justice.
D. An inventory of existing security technologies employed by the Transit Department, technology upgrades that would benefit the security and safety and the cost to implement the improvements.
This study shall be communicated to Council via Executive Communication or Official Communication by May 1st of 2023.
Section 4. That the following amounts are hereby adjusted to the following programs and funds from fund balance, working capital balance, and/or revenue for operating City government in Fiscal Year 2023:
General Fund-110
Transfer to Transit Operating Fund-661 50,000
$50,000 is designated for the purpose of funding the Transit Security Plan as described in Section 3 of this Resolution.
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