Supervisor Barger Statement Regarding Metro Board Vote on Transit Law Enforcement Services

Today’s decision by the Metro Board to continue funding law enforcement for the MTA system was the right thing to do.

There are two types of riders — those who choose to ride, and those who must take public transportation because they have no other option. Both say safety is their top priority. Everyone deserves to feel safe.

As a Metro Board member, I firmly believe that our solutions to making that a reality must be balanced. This isn’t an “either/or” situation. We need a multi-layered approach to safety and security. Eliminating specialized police for the Metro system or defunding the police for Metro is, and will always be, the wrong thing to do.