LOS ANGELES — With an upswing in drug use, rising crime and a growing number of drug overdose deaths on Metro trains and buses, transit officials are looking to increase security on the system.
Twenty-one people have died on trains and buses in the Metro system so far this year. There was one homicide, but most died from apparent overdoses. That's as many who died in all of 2022 and marks a significant departure from the previous years.
Gina Osborn, the top safety officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, presented data to the Metro executive board on Thursday showing an alarming rise in crime and plans next month to ask for an increase in Metro transit safety officers riding the system.
