INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM January 31, 2026
TO: Klarissa Peña, President, City Council
FROM: Timothy M. Keller, Mayor
SUBJECT:
title
Q2 FY26 ABQ RIDE Quarterly Security Report with APD, ACS, and Metro Security Data
body
The Transit Department was directed by O-22-47 to submit an executive communication each quarter containing security data from multiple security entities starting in July of 2024 for Q4 FY24. This report presents data from ABQ RIDE, Albuquerque Police Department (APD), Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS), and Albuquerque Metro Security. Report information includes Q2 FY26 statistics on calls for security service. Calls are categorized and documented by location (such as on the bus, at bus stops, on bus routes, and at transit facilities when available), by reporting entity and by incident type. All data has been verified by each department prior to submission.
Please note that in these reports, of ABQ RIDE’s three safety partners, Metro Security is the only agency that provides ‘by-route’ data. In this quarterly report, due to a new data collection method, Metro Security cannot provide ‘by-route’ data for this report. They do plan to supply this data for the next quarterly report. Therefore, in this report, there is no ‘by-route’ data information included. The reason for the difficulty in collecting ‘by-route’ data for the agencies is that their data collection methods include corridors and parts of the city, but not bus routes. Per the Albuquerque Long-Range Transit Security plan by Parametrix, future data will be collected ‘by-corridor.’ With ‘by-corridor’ data, APD will be able to more strategically deploy its mobile units across Albuquerque with a proactive safety presence where the data shows a higher concentration of incidents.
The Transit Department is currently working with a consultant (Parametrix) to streamline and improve data collection across all security reporting departments and establish key performance indicators for security data that will inform decisions for safety and security resource deployment. This plan includes Transit Safety Officers as ABQ RIDE’s primary safety partner. ABQ RIDE is continuing forth its multi-layered approach to transit safety with several partners contributing to ensure the system is safeguarded with appropriate staffing with a combination of support from APD, ACS, Metro Security, and contracted security.
Transit Safety Roles
APD is ABQ RIDE’s primary partner in transit safety. They provide Transit Safety Officer (TSO) and Police Service Aide (PSA) personnel across the transit system. TSO mobile units are dedicated to transit and meet incidents that arise across the entire transit system as well as provide proactive patrols. PSAs provide observe and report services on City buses. Both TSO’s and PSA’s have direct access to APD sworn officers should the need arise. APD also conducts undercover operations in transit corridors to monitor safety and provides Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design analyses for transit facilities to improve rider and staff safety. APD does not have the ability to identify incidents as specific to transit, report on bus or by route data because geographic data is based on address and bus incidents which on route data does not provide. The Transit Department is continuing to work with APD to increase the number of full-time TSO positions in accordance with the recommendations of the Long-Range Transit Security Plan.
Metro Security provides on-demand mobile support if there are no mobile TSOs available.
ACS plays a supportive role in the overall public safety framework by responding to non-emergency calls related to behavioral health, suicidal ideation, welfare checks, wellness checks, homelessness, and related concerns. These calls for service are received through 911 or 311, much like calls for service at other locations throughout the city. While ACS may respond to incidents at bus stops and transit locations, the department does not provide security or enforcement, nor does it assign personnel specifically to provide transit security.
Lastly, contracted security ambassadors from GardaWorld and Shimmel Security support the transit system to fill in gaps as needed. They are primarily stationed as security at select ART platforms, the Alvarado Transportation Center, and to monitor the Ken Sanchez Transit Facility from theft.
ABQ RIDE Analysis of Transit Safety Data from Q2 FY26
|
Quarterly Security Report Insights from Q2 FY25 (Oct, Nov, Dec 2025) |
|
Data |
Q2 FY 25 |
Q2 FY 26 |
% Change from Q2 FY25 to Q2 FY26 |
|
Average Monthly Calls |
2,348 |
1,802 |
-23% |
|
Average Monthly Class A Calls |
26 |
28 |
8% |
|
Average Monthly Reactive Calls |
782 |
289 |
-63% |
|
Average Monthly Proactive Calls |
1,566 |
1,512 |
-3% |
|
Total Class A Calls |
78 |
83 |
6% |
|
Total Reactive Calls |
2345 |
868 |
-63% |
|
Total Proactive Calls |
4699 |
4537 |
-3% |
|
Total Security Calls |
7044 |
5405 |
-23% |
|
Total Number of Passenger Boardings |
1,890,962 |
1,938,607 |
3% |
|
Class A per 100,000 Passenger Boardings |
4.12 |
4.28 |
4% |
|
Total Calls APD |
4,771 |
5,222 |
9% |
|
Total Calls ACS |
113 |
114 |
1% |
|
Total Calls Metro |
2160 |
69 |
-97% |
|
Bus Stops |
4,451 |
4,656 |
5% |
|
Buses |
56 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Transit Centers |
2537 |
680 |
-73% |
|
Percentage of Total Calls That Are Class A |
1% |
2% |
|
|
Percentage of Total Calls That Are Proactive |
67% |
28% |
|
|
Percentage of Total Calls That Are Reactive |
33% |
16% |
|
The data above compares Q2 FY 26 to data from the previous Q2 for the most accurate analysis of data due to seasonality with safety calls.
ABQ RIDE’s analysis of the data provided:
• 23% reduction in monthly calls due to fewer incidents.
• The number of Class A incidents (more serious calls) increased by 5 in Q2 FY26 than the previous Q2.
• Class A calls reflect around 1-2% of total calls.
• The top two Class A categories are vandalism and fire which account for 57% of the Class A calls.
• Proactive and reactive calls both decreased due to an overall decrease in security calls.
• Per 100,000 passenger boardings, there is an average of 4 Class A incidents.
• 9% increase in total calls by APD reflects the transition to TSOs as ABQ RIDE’s primary safety partner.
• ACS presence remained steady with only a 1% increase.
• 97% decrease in Metro Security calls demonstrates the shift from Metro Security as ABQ RIDE’s primary safety partner to APD’s TSO team.
• Slight increase in calls at bus stops can be attributed to increased TSO presence around the city in Mobile Units.
• “N/A” is listed in the bus column due to having no ‘by-route’ data available from APD, ACS, or Metro Security per data collection challenges.
• Substantial reduction of 73% in security calls at Transit Centers can be attributed to Metro Security no longer monitoring the Alvarado Transportation Center 24/7.
More information about ABQ RIDE’s safety strategy can be found on ABQRIDE.com <https://www.cabq.gov/transit/safety>.
TITLE/SUBJECT OF LEGISLATION: Q2 FY26 ABQ RIDE Quarterly Security Report with APD, ACS, and Metro Security Data
Approved: Approved as to Legal Form:
_______________________ ____________________________
Samantha Sengel, EdD Date Lauren Keefe Date
Chief Administrative Officer City Attorney
Recommended:
_______________________
Leslie Keener Date
Transit Director