LA Metro Care-Based Services Division expands safety approach

LA Metro Care-Based Services Division is now operating within the agency’s Department of Public Safety, formalizing a care-based public safety approach focused on dignity, safety, and choosing the right response for each situation, as outlined in an official LA Metro public safety department update.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The division brings several care-centered programs under one umbrella—Metro Ambassadors, Homeless Outreach Management and Engagement (HOME), and Community Intervention Specialists. LA Metro says it will work alongside other Department of Public Safety teams responsible for law enforcement, code of conduct enforcement, physical security, and emergency management, with the goal of tighter coordination and quicker response times for both riders and employees.

Leadership focus on mental health and crisis intervention

Craig Joyce, LCSW, a senior executive officer with more than 15 years of social work experience, will lead the division and report to William Scott, LA Metro’s chief of police and emergency management.

Joyce joined LA Metro in 2023 and previously led the agency’s homeless outreach initiative. In the 2025 Metro Point in Time Count, LA Metro reported a 38% year-over-year reduction in homeless individuals seeking shelter on the system.

Don’t miss…Rail strike in France: SNCF expects limited disruption

Fernando Dutra, LA Metro board chair and City of Whittier council member, said the launch moves Metro’s holistic public safety model forward by combining mental health support, crisis intervention, and outreach to vulnerable populations with law enforcement within a single safety ecosystem.

Programs under one structure across the system

Across the network, LA Metro says Metro Ambassadors provide a highly visible, uniformed presence, helping with customer support and wayfinding while aiming to make riders feel safe; additional context on the program has been covered by Railway Supply. The agency adds that ambassadors can be particularly helpful for riders who feel uneasy interacting with sworn officers, while still fitting into the broader system-wide safety approach.

HOME teams and Community Intervention Specialists are intended to complement that work by responding to situations involving mental health crises or vulnerable individuals through a multidisciplinary, care-first approach. Their role centers on de-escalation and connecting people to appropriate services, coordinating with sworn officers when needed so incidents are handled safely and effectively.

LA Metro’s emerging Crisis Response Teams are planned to respond to behavioral health-related incidents on the rail and busway system. The teams are expected to include clinicians, peer specialists and, when appropriate, trained Department of Public Safety officers. Deployed through a zone-based deployment model, Crisis Response Teams are designed around rapid response, stabilization, and linking people to supportive resources—an approach LA Metro says can help resolve incidents while reducing reliance on traditional law enforcement and reinforcing system-wide safety.

LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said the collaborative approach reflects a growing recognition of integrating mental health expertise into public safety responses and promoting trauma-informed crisis intervention.

Board-approved timeline for the public safety department

On June 28, 2024, the LA Metro Board of Directors unanimously approved establishing an in-house public safety department intended to increase visibility, accountability, and consistent service delivery, according to a Metro Board announcement.

By the end of 2029, LA Metro’s Public Safety Department plans to deploy its own hired and specially trained law enforcement officers in the field alongside Metro Ambassadors, homeless outreach staff, and crisis intervention staff, using a zone-based deployment model. Under this setup, each zone will have at least one crisis co-response team assigned to respond to calls and to engage proactively on board trains and buses, and at LA Metro transit stations.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed: