Safety recommendations for Milwaukee County buses are generating friction. Here's what to know about the plan.
Security on Milwaukee County Transit System buses has been a hot-button issue for years, but a new set of recommendations from a task force charged with finding solutions appears to be getting little traction.
Bus operators have complained of being threatened and assaulted by riders. Most recently, two shootings were connected to MCTS.
In the latest push to address security, the MCTS Transit Safety and Security Task Force established during the 2023 budget cycle proposed recommendations to help protect drivers and passengers.
What did the task force recommend to improve bus safety?
The outlined recommendations include the introduction of transit security rangers employed by the county onto MCTS routes, as well as other measures to help operators best know how to respond to security concerns during a ride.
At the County's Committee on Transportation and Transit, supervisors unanimously voted to recommend a resolution supporting the recommendations of the task force.
Other recommendations include:
All vehicles in use by persons tasked with safety and security on transit be clearly identifiable, including the use of uniforms for safety and security personnel.
In the event of an incident reported by an operator, a copy of the incident report, including the details of any completed or ongoing follow-up by MCTS, be provided to the operators involved within 48 hours of the incident.
Guidance on best practices and procedures for handling passengers who fall asleep on the bus.
Any policy solutions to safety and security address the needs of people who may be unhoused or using transit and transit infrastructure for temporary shelter or to escape the elements.
The creation and funding of the Transit Ranger program, which would ideally consist of 51 Transit Rangers, four shift supervisors, one public safety manager, one DHHS liaison, and one Housing liaison. They would all be Milwaukee County employees, at an estimated total annual cost of $3,479,976.
Emails show friction between county supervisor and top county officials
In the days following the vote Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Peter Burgelis, who also co-chairs the task force, blasted County Executive David Crowley and his administration, frustrated by their lack of interest in the recommendations that took a year to prepare.
In emails obtained by the Journal Sentinel between Burgelis, Crowley's Chief of Staff Mary Jo Meyers, Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball and Donna Brown-Martin, director of the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation, Crowley's office appears unconvinced by the task force recommendations.
"Execution of this policy recommendation would fall squarely on the administration. If you don’t want to pursue this opportunity for additional bipartisan state funding, then I think that’s a shame and a missed opportunity," Burgelis wrote on Sept. 7. "This all could have been much more efficient with any kind of coordination with the Executives office, which has yet to happen."
Burgelis continued: "The recommendations in the resolution are clear, and the testimony and careful deliberation in the task force are all public. If the (County Executive) is refusing to implement them because of the format they came in, he can answer to the stakeholders that overwhelmingly supported them, and we'll add them in via amendment. If he'd like to meet with us for a summary because the office did not follow the proceedings, I'm sure we'd both be open to that."
Meyers responded to Burgelis that: "(t)here is nothing to act on as the resolution does not provide a clear set of asks with any analysis. The Department is researching and analyzing what they will put forth as potential action items but the Task Force has given them little to work with to date that could actually be implemented."
"When we have something we have confidence in putting forth our office is more than willing to put our support behind it," Meyers wrote.
Crowley's office did not respond to a request for comment on the exchange.
In an earlier exchange between Burgelis and Ball in August, he bemoaned the lack of law enforcement available to help with transit security and safety.
"I'm saddened by leadership putting their head in the sand and just hoping things will improve," Burgelis wrote in an email on Aug. 19.
The following day, the sheriff clapped back by reminding the supervisor of her office's staggering staffing struggle.
"Instead of insulting the Sheriff's Office and assuming we have been putting our head in the sand, maybe you should have just asked!" Ball wrote.
"MCTS has been a great partner to us so it's disappointing that we are unable to assist them in this manner. It's equally disappointing that a Board Supervisor who has frequently been a supporter, has taken THIS opportunity and issue to insult me and my administration because we don't have the staffing to embark on a Transit Ranger Program and because we don't want to compromise the safety and expectations of all involved and give them a false sense of security which we are unlikely to provide because the program was put together without adequate resources," Ball wrote.
How is security handled now?
MCTS has a $1.5 million contract with private security firm Allied Universal. The firm provides guards on some buses who can remove passengers but do not have police powers to make arrests.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 (ATU 998), which represents MCTS bus operators, has complained about the lack of effectiveness and security Allied Universal has provided since its contract began.
"I want it out of the hands of MCTS because of how they report incidents," ATU 998's vice president, Michael Brown, previously told the Journal Sentinel. "There were a lot of incidents that went on went unknown."
In a statement from MCTS on Aug. 25, MCTS President and Managing Director Denise Wandke said: "I understand how the Task Force may think Park Rangers are a better option than our current security. Unfortunately, I feel this recommendation is very similar to what we already have in place and will not bring a long-term solution."
What happens next?
The recommendations from the task force will now be voted on by the full Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 21.
If approved, Crowley will need to sign off on the resolution.
Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Vanessa_Swales.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MCTS safety recommendations are causing friction, emails show
