NCJ Number
174451
Journal
Security Management Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: April 1997 Pages: 59-65
Date Published
1997
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article examines how public/private liaisons are helping localities secure public transportation systems.
Abstract
A study of three transit authorities attempted to determine what criteria private security officers or contract providers should be asked to meet in terms of background and training, what duties they should have, and how they should interact with transit authority officials and police. The study examined the San Diego Trolley, a light rail system that transports commuters from the suburbs to downtown San Diego and also carries tourists from downtown to the Mexican border crossing at San Ysidro; Metrolink, the Southern California Regional Rail Authority that serves Ventura, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and Los Angeles counties; and two south Florida agencies that have turned most of their security operation over to an outside firm, the Wackenhut Corporation. The study also evaluated several other transit systems that employed division of labor, using both contract security officers and law enforcement personnel.