From the homeless population to crime onboard, here’s what METRO’s police chief says the agency is doing.
HOUSTON — From riding trains to walking to bus stops, METRO police say full staffing has allowed them to focus on one of the public’s biggest concerns — safety on the system, especially when it comes to the unhoused population.
“Along the route here, you’re going to probably see some additional, like the unhoused population,” said METRO PD Chief Ban Tien. “And then, it’s the same thing the public sees, and you’re going to ask, you know, ‘Hey, why aren’t you doing something about it,’ right?”
It’s a question Chief Tien hears often, and he says the real answer lies in a team approach, not just police presence.
“This is the part that collaboration is key,” Tien said. “I’ve been an officer long enough, police officer long enough, that I know we cannot arrest ourselves out of a problem.”
METRO is teaming up with law enforcement, nonprofits, and churches to reach people experiencing homelessness and not just relocating them.
“Not just collaborate with law enforcement agencies, social service, and to a large degree, those nonprofit and church group,” Tien said.
That effort has already made an impact near Daikin Park, a former hotspot that’s now been mostly cleared.
“That place has been cleared out tremendously since when you’ve last seen,” Tien said. “And the next effort is we’re going to start shifting towards Main Street.”
As more outreach stations and patrol zones roll out, Chief Tien says the goal is more than words.
“I say to fix this, we have to find a source of the problem,” he said.
The METRO Police Department is also addressing the recent crime we’ve seen on METRO buses and trains.
“We are adding additional resources, unmarked undercover types, so there’s some resources you will see and there’s some resources you may or may not see, but trust me, they are out there to keep everyone safe,” Chief Tien said.
METRO is sending a clear message. This is no longer a place for crime. The goal is to get families comfortable with taking public transportation, and it starts with safety.