On February 27, 2024, King County Metro welcomed the newest division to the agency, the Safety Security and Quality Assurance division (SSQA). Safety has always been a priority at Metro but that scope has increased dramatically throughout the years. To understand what community’s priorities are related to safety Metro conducted community engagement, gathered feedback on fare enforcement, centered youth voices, and more. To operationalize community feedback and uphold the values of safety and equity, the SSQA section transitioned into a division.

“Creating this division is a bold move to elevate Metro’s values of safety and equity,” says Rebecca Frankhouser, Director of Metro’s Safety, Security and Quality Assurance Division and Chief Safety Officer. “It demonstrates Metro’s commitment to create a community (both employees and the region) free from harm where all can thrive.”

SSQA was previously a section in the General Manager’s office. What began with a small group of people that was created to investigate collisions, has grown to 71 employees with significantly more lines of business. Their work now includes not only operational safety, but also employee health and safety, wellness, physical and contract security, emergency management, data, auditing, training, and managing initiatives such as Safety, Security and Fare Enforcement (SaFE) Reform. Care and presence are the sentiments that frame SSQA’s philosophy on safety and security. The core value is focusing on employee and community concerns and needs.

The care and presence approach is applied through the SaFE Reform Initiative to proactively address community concerns around public safety. When racism was declared a public health crisis in King County, Metro’s leadership team implemented the SaFE Reform Initiative to reimagine what the vision of safety, security, and equity should look like at Metro. The SaFE Reform team partnered with employees and communities to listen to and understand what would be needed to make them feel safe on transit, at bus stops, and at other transit facilities. This process centered Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities disproportionately and negatively impacted by policies and practices due to the challenges of systemic racism.

To date, the SaFE Reform Initiative has piloted two programs: Metro Ambassadors and the Behavioral Health Specialist Team. Metro Ambassadors spend time in communities and help transit riders in any way they can. Many of the ambassadors have served as Metro bus operators so they have familiarity with Metro’s operations and area communities. Behavioral Health Specialists help community members who are in crisis or would benefit from resources. The team is trained in de-escalation and prevention to reduce the need for police or security. Behavioral Health Specialists provide food, hygiene items and cold weather supplies, and connections to community partners. These pilots fit into the overall care and presence approach, which also includes Transit Security Officers and Metro Transit Police. Transit Security Officers offer a calming, proactive presence that deters incidents, and Metro Transit Police provide law enforcement and other community services. These efforts have proven to be successful and have contributed to significantly decreasing the number of incidents.

SSQA has always been pivotal in creating a safe, clean, and reliable transit system. The transition to a division provides the structure and foundation necessary for growth and enables Metro to support programs that improve the safety culture and security practices that protect employees, riders, and communities. The need for transit that is safe and accessible to everyone is clear in our growing region. Safety, security, and quality assurance is key to creating a transit community free from harm where all can thrive.