ST. LOUIS – Metro is working to enhance security on MetroLink.
It was announced Friday that several police departments will soon be involved in keeping the public transit safe. Agencies involved include police from Fairview Heights, Belleville, Swansea, Shiloh, and St. Clair County.
Off-duty armed officers can work on a voluntary overtime basis to patrol MetroLink platforms and parking lots, as well as ride the train in support of the MetroLink Law Enforcement Team.
“We all know that when Metro was built, we vied for a station in our community,” Mark Kern, St. Clair County Board Chairman, said. “So, every one of our stations in Illinois is in a municipality. and that allows us to bring law enforcement from those municipalities to these stations to protect these riders.”
The agencies are joining St. Louis Metropolitan and St. Louis County police, who were part of the main partnership presence.
“The one thing we can see is if we can help public safety on mass transit, that helps all of our communities in a significant way,” Fairview Heights Police Chief Steve Johnson said.
