Recent shootings connected to Metro Transit have raised safety concerns among riders.Learn more about the incidents and what measures are being taken to ensure passenger safety.
It’s a fair question. But I believe it’s the wrong one.
Crime doesn’t originate on trains or buses. It follows people wherever they go. Shopping centers experience violence. Schools experience violence. Hospitals experience violence. Churches experience violence. Public transit, one of the most accessible spaces in any city, is no exception.
That doesn’t mean Metro is ignoring the problem.
Over the past year, Metro has made significant investments to improve safety across the system. New secure fare gates now require riders to validate their fare before entering platforms, helping reduce unauthorized access. High-definition surveillance cameras provide expanded coverage throughout stations, while emergency assistance kiosks allow riders to immediately contact security personnel. Riders will also notice increased security presence and infrastructure designed to make stations more controlled and secure.
During a recent visit to the newly upgraded Emerson Park MetroLink Station, I saw those investments firsthand. The controlled entrances, modern turnstiles, emergency call stations, and visible cameras represent a transit agency responding to legitimate concerns rather than pretending they don’t exist.
I also rode Metro during the early morning hours through an area that some people would avoid. Personally, I didn’t feel unsafe but I remained aware of my surroundings. The truth is, that’s how I move through life whether I’m on a train, walking through a parking garage, attending a concert, or shopping at a grocery store. Awareness isn’t unique to public transit; it’s part of living in today’s world.
Could another incident happen on Metro?
Yes.
Just as another incident could happen in a shopping mall, a movie theater, a workplace, or any other public space where thousands of people gather. No security system can promise zero crime. The goal is to reduce opportunities for violence while responding quickly when incidents occur.
The harder conversation is the one we often avoid.
Violence is rooted in issues much bigger than transit: poverty, untreated mental illness, easy access to illegal firearms, unresolved conflict, and communities still searching for opportunity and healing. Until we address those underlying challenges, crime will continue to appear in places that bring people together.
It’s easy to blame the train.
It’s much harder to fix the conditions that lead someone to commit violence in the first place.
Metro should continue investing in security, and the public should continue holding transit leaders accountable for maintaining a safe system. But we should also recognize the progress already being made instead of allowing isolated incidents to define an entire network that safely transports thousands of people every day.
The conversation shouldn’t simply be about making Metro safer. It should be about making our communities safer. Because when communities become safer, public transit becomes safer too. That’s the real solution not just for Metro, but for every public space we share.
Learn more about Metro here!
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Curtrell McCann
1 314 376 9300
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