Metro’s Board of Directors has voted to start banning violent offenders on Metro trains, buses and anywhere on Metro property starting this summer.
Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Anzallo described the simple message being sent to people who commit violent crimes within the system as, “Hey, you’re not welcome here.”
Currently, MTPD can ban a person for violating conduct rules for only 24 hours.
Under the new policy adopted at Thursday’s meeting, the targeted crimes would include sexual offenses, assaults on employees and assaults on other passengers on buses, trains or on Metro property. A 45-day ban would apply to a first offense, a 90-day ban would apply to a second and a third offense would result in a yearlong ban.
Anzallo said anyone banned who shows up on Metro property would be arrested.
“And I think that does have a deterrent effect, particularly, in these sex offenses,” he said.
Chief Operations Officer Brian Dwyer said the graduated ban structure allows for an appeals process.
“We realize that banning an individual from the system is a significant step,” he said.
According to Metro officials, there were 227 assaults against Metro employees in 2024. Metro Board member Tracy Hadden-Loh called it a “shocking number,” but Dwyer pointed out that overall, “crime in the system is at a seven-year low.”
Asked if juveniles are among those committing violent crimes on Metro, Anzallo said he didn’t have exact numbers but said “very few” assaults were committed by minors. He added that most of those who commit violent crimes within the transit system are adults.
Metro is not alone in adopting a policy that allows for banning violent offenders from using transit. Dwyer said a survey of other transit agencies, including Atlanta’s MARTA and Pennsylvania’s SEPTA, do have similar policies, “and half of these were instituted in the last two years.”
After training for the MTPD, the policy is set to go into effect around June 2.
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