Does the Metro E-Line need more security?

Passengers of the Metro E-Line, west bound towards downtown Santa Monica, exit the train at the 17th Street/SMC station on March 26,2025 in Santa Monica Calif. (Ana Sanchez Venegas | The Corsair)

The Metro E-Line first opened in 2012, connecting downtown Los Angeles to Culver City. Then in 2016, it extended to Santa Monica. It quickly became the primary means of transportation for Angelenos, especially for those commuting without a car. 

The E-Line has several stops in Santa Monica, with several around Santa Monica College (SMC) campuses. The 26th Street/Bergamot station is near SMC’s Center for Media & Design (CMD) satellite campus. One stop later is the 17th Street/SMC station, closest to SMC’s main campus. 

However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the number of passengers taking the E-Line plummeted to an all-time low, with just an estimated 8.3 million riders in 2020. Metro hadn’t seen these types of numbers since 2015. 

Since then, numbers have rebounded, but Metro hasn’t quite reached the number of riders seen from 2017 to 2019, with 2019 having the highest number of riders at an estimated 19.4 million passengers, and it was estimated that 15.8 million riders used the E-Line in 2024. But with that many riders, how safe is it?

According to CBS News, between May 2023 and April 2024, there was a 33% increase in violent crimes across the system. During this timeline, there were also 142 reports of weapon crimes and 639 reports of narcotic crimes.

Many SMC students, including myself, have seen incidents that cause safety concerns firsthand. Roxana Montoya, a student majoring in business, takes the E-Line daily to school, with the line being her only mode of transportation. Montoya said she has seen quite a few incidents that made her feel unsafe about taking the Metro. 

“There was actually a guy with like a whole knife in his hand,” Montoya said. “So I carry pepper spray with me now, just in case. It happens a lot with people that have, like, weapons or something like that. So I just stick to the doors now, just in case. There’s always something happening.” 

Alexander Espinoza, a student majoring in graphic design, has also witnessed an incident.

“I was going to the beach to hang out with one of my friends, and there was a fight that broke out,” Espinoza said. “It ended up going outside the train because (security) had to stop the fight and make sure everyone was safe. I was stuck at that stop for like 20 minutes.”

But these incidents aren’t just a concern for just SMC students. They also affect everyday riders. Ryan Holman, 34, is a resident of Los Angeles. Holman has been taking the E-Line for around four years and takes it twice a day to work.  

When he sees E-Line passengers behaving erratically, Holman said, “Usually they’re whatever and don’t really bother anybody.” But when asked if he had ever seen an incident that concerned him about getting on the E-Line, Holman recounted two incidents. 

“Just last week, there was a homeless dude on there, who … had a puppy, and it was really afraid of him or something, and it did not follow him off the E-Line when he got off,” Holman said. “It almost got stuck in the doors. He comes back all pissed off after this girl was yelling at him that the dog was still behind and he like, kicked the dog in the face, and other passengers stood up and they were about to, like, beat the crap out of him, and rightfully so. And then he was flipping out at the people, pretending like he didn’t do anything wrong, which is insane.”

Holman also recounted another alarming moment: “I’ve also seen someone on there with a gun, who flashed it for a bit,” Holman said. “They sort of robbed someone for their weed. The gun one was probably the scariest one I’ve seen.”

I’ve also experienced and seen numerous scary incidents, as I have taken the E-Line since my sophomore year of high school. The incidents range from a man revealing he was injecting himself with an unknown substance by constantly dropping the needle and filling the air with the smell, to a man pulling out a knife on a group of teenage boys and even to human feces. 

Metro has attempted to reduce the crime rates within the system by increasing the number of police officers and personnel. But it has been proven not to be that effective, as this effort is more evident in specific stations than others. 

“You hardly see cops at stops,” Montaya said. “If you do need personnel, they take forever to arrive.”

In contrast, Holman described a noticeable increase in police and Metro personnel presence. “(I see them) all the time,” Holman said. “Much more now, within the past two years or so. That was a good, hopeful change in the staffing.” 

Through a personal observation, I saw there was always more police presence at stations in wealthier areas, such as Santa Monica. Meanwhile, stations that were in lower-income areas had little to no security. I also noticed that the stations that lack sufficient security are often the ones that have the most severe crimes on or around them.

I get off at Western, one of these areas where this observation is most noticeable. I often witness something going wrong – the station is frequently trashed and filled with loiterers, but more severe incidents are not uncommon.

In the early morning of April 21, a man was pursued and arrested for wielding a gun. Later that same day, a shooting occurred in which there were two victims. The suspect was reported to be a teenager who fled on foot. 

Metro personnel, overall, are hardly seen, often getting on at one station and off at the next. Notably, the stations in lower-income areas are less well taken care of and maintained. In addition, the homeless population and presence around these stations are higher than at most stations in wealthier areas. 

To continue to try to counteract the rise in crime, Metro announced in June 2024 that they would create its police force. The question remains: Does the E-Line have enough security? Montoya suggested a solution that she believes would be the best option.

“(Metro) can hire more security inside the trains,” said Montoya. “Instead of having to have cops come to stops, because usually they’re not there on time.”

Increasing security or law enforcement on trains and stations could help deter crime and make riders feel safer. However, these efforts have to be made more in the areas that are not getting the same attention and care as the stations and places that are more privileged. 

Metro is genuinely concerned for all its passengers' safety, as the Metro Board has a monthly public meeting regarding customer safety and experience. They vote and discuss matters that would help riders, but their efforts must succeed for anything to change over time truly.