Enhancing Mass Transit Security to Prevent Crime and Manage Risk
Security Risk Assessment
Many cities across the country face the challenge of managing crime committed on buses, trains and stations’ transit hubs. Mass transit systems attract large crowds and provide essential services, making their protection both critical and complex.
Challenge
In 2013, Rozin Security began collaborating with a major public transportation provider in a metropolitan area of Minnesota. This client operates an integrated network that includes buses, light rail, commuter trains, and resources for carpooling, walking, and biking. On an average weekday, the system supports transportation for around 250,000 individuals, comprising professionals, students, and recreational travelers, totaling over 70 million bus trips annually within the metropolitan area.
The client’s primary challenge is balancing efficient operations with high-level security. As a critical source for public transportation services in a bustling urban environment, the client requires premier safety solutions to protect its key assets—passengers, equipment, utilities—across the light rail system, operations and maintenance buildings, and central communications hubs.
Strategy
To address this challenge and protect this crucial resource, Rozin Security performed a full security and risk assessment (SRA) to identify the key assets that should be protected. These included employees and customers, utilities, and equipment critical to the building’s or system’s functionality. They did this for all 23 light rail stations, as well as the operations and maintenance building and central communications building.
Next, Rozin Security analyzed typical threats against the transportation industry – left- and right-wing extremist groups, terrorists, former employees, etc. – as well as threats that were particularly pronounced because of the client’s assets’ locations. Included in this analysis were previous attacks on similar sites and an investigation of various aspects of the local cultural and legal frameworks, which may increase the ease and likelihood of attack against our client’s facilities.
The core feature of the SRA was an onsite assessment of the client’s assets followed by corrective measures. In addressing the client’s vulnerabilities, Rozin Security traditionally divides the corrective measures into three broad categories:
- Physical security features (exp., fencing and window safety features)
- Technological security features (exp. access control mechanisms and closed-circuit television cameras)
- Human asset security features (exp., increased security personnel presence and better-defined protocols)
Rozin Security then addresses these categories as they apply to various locations at the client’s facilities, ranging from the facility perimeter to high-value rooms inside, such as utility and data rooms.
Results
Managing crime in mass transit systems is a significant challenge faced by cities nationwide. These systems attract large crowds and provide indispensable services, making their protection both essential and complex.
Rozin Security developed a comprehensive plan to mitigate risk, offering recommendations for physical, technological, staffing, policy, and procedural corrective measures to enhance security preparedness. Each recommendation was prioritized based on its ability to deter, prevent, detect, and respond to relevant threats, ensuring that the most effective measures provided the greatest return on investment for the individual site.
Key elements of Rozin Security’s approach included:
- Physical Security Enhancements: Installation of surveillance cameras, improved lighting, and fortified entry and exit points.
- Technological Solutions: Integration of advanced security systems, such as facial recognition and behavior detection software, to monitor and analyze passenger activity.
- Staffing Adjustments: Deployment of trained security personnel, including Behavior Detection Officers, to monitor high-risk areas and engage with the public.
- Policy and Procedural Revisions: Development of clear, actionable protocols for emergency response and routine security checks.
- Interagency Collaboration: Coordination with local law enforcement and transit authorities to ensure a unified and efficient response to incidents
Through this detailed and multi-faceted approach, Rozin Security provided the client with a security framework tailored to their unique challenges, ensuring the safety and protection of their mass transit system. This partnership highlights the importance of thorough security planning and implementation in maintaining the integrity and safety of public transportation services.
Security Consulting
Rozin Security offers security consulting services to help you design a comprehensive and proactive security plan to meet the needs of your organization today, and over time.
