L.A. Metro public safety officers recruitment has opened for the first qualified law enforcement officers who will serve in the agency’s new Department of Public Safety.

L.A. Metro public safety officers recruitment starts
Photo: L.A. Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the hiring effort drew 950 applications within the first 24 hours⁠, according to a press release from the agency.

L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said the recruitment process will help shape the new department’s role and public-facing standards.

“As we recruit and develop the first generation of Metro officers, we will shape a department that reflects our values, earns public trust, and delivers the safe, welcoming experience our riders and employees deserve,” said L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins.

Department of Public Safety moves toward deployment

The Department of Public Safety was created in June 2024⁠, when the L.A. Metro board voted unanimously to establish an internal public safety department. The agency aims to place its own specially trained officers into service by the end of 2029.

The department forms part of L.A. Metro’s wider care-based model for public safety. That approach brings together ambassadors, homeless outreach teams and crisis and community intervention teams. It is intended to match each situation with the appropriate responder, allowing law enforcement officers to focus on criminal incidents and urgent safety issues.

L.A. Metro public safety officers to receive transit training

The agency also reported that violent crime fell for a second consecutive year in 2025, reaching its lowest level since 2021. In March 2026, overall crime was 13.6% lower than in March 2025.

“We have built a strong foundation that reflects our deep commitment to accountability, training, and community-centered policing to lead our training program,” said Wiggins. “Metro is leading the nation in creating a new approach to public safety for transit as it builds its [DPS] from the ground up.”

New DPS officers will receive law enforcement training along with instruction focused on the transit environment. Their training will cover transit-specific awareness issues, trauma-informed response, de-escalation and customer service.