July 2024. Blues Vol 40 No.7

conducting annual

conducting annual assessments of the law enforcement contracts with LASD, LAPD, and LBPD. Over and over, they’ve found that these models simply don’t provide enough visible presence on buses, trains, and other critical infrastructure locations. “Moreover, because we can’t monitor and oversee the individuals assigned to our system, we can’t ensure they are fully patrolling it.” India Mandelkern, writing for Metro, noted that an independent Metro Police department existed from 1978-1997 and was eventually merged with the LAPD and LA County Sheriff in a merger that “had more to do with politics than the in-house police force’s effectiveness.” Fox LA reported that LA County Sheriff Robert Luna disagreed and expressed misgivings about the formation of a new department on the cusp of LA hosting the Olympics and the (2027) Super Bowl. He also cited concerns about how quickly the department can hire to full staffing. He told reporters, “As the county sheriff responsible for public safety in this county, I have to make sure that with the World Cup coming in, the Olympics and the (2027) Super Bowl — this is not a time to experiment with new projects. Public safety is too critical to do that with.” The TCPSD will reportedly employ a “zone-based” deployment model familiar to many departments splitting greater LA into six regions where officers will be “responsible for patrolling their assigned zones, riding buses and trains, conducting foot 68 The Blues - July ‘24 patrols at stations, and engaging with both riders and Metro staff within their assigned stations.” According to the post from Metro LA, the “Enhanced Service Model,” approved by the Metro Board, will maintain the current staffing level of 386 law enforcement officers in the field and increase the number of “unarmed, non-law enforcement personnel (TSOs, Ambassadors, homeless outreach, and crisis intervention teams) by 227 to 673.” The budget for the department will also allocate million for “public safety infrastructure improvements at transit stations (CCTV cameras, weapons detection, enhanced fare gates, and more).” Overall the plan will decrease costs from the current multi-agency model at 4 million to 2.6 million. OFF-DUTY ST. PAUL OFFICER FOILS ARMED ROBBERY ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul police officer was off-duty and out to dinner with family at a neighborhood restaurant when he found himself needing to spring into action to foil an armed robbery. The incident took place on Sunday, June 16, just before 6 p.m. on the Greater East Side and resulted in the arrest of Drew Charles Larson, 39, who has since been charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated robbery in Ramsey County District Court. The incident was detailed in a post on the St. Paul Police Department’s Facebook page: “When dinner with your family turns into protecting the community. Off duty Saint Paul police officer Jonathan Valencia was enjoying dinner with his family on the 1600 block of White Bear Avenue when suddenly, a man stole the tip jar from restaurant counter. When the staff confronted the man, he pulled out a knife, raised it as if he intended to stab the staff member. Off duty Saint Paul police officer Jonathan Valencia was in the restaurant and jumped into action to save lives. He drew his firearm, identified himself as a Saint Paul police officer, and ordered the man to drop the knife, which he did immediately. Officer Valencia and staff members held onto the suspect until

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