April 28, 2025

Hahn speaks to media at press conference April 28 at the Norwalk Metro Station.

Norwalk, CA – This morning, Chair of the Metro Board of Directors and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced the beginning of Phase 2 of Metro’s Weapons Detection Pilot Program, which began today at Metro’s Norwalk Station on the C (Green) Line and San Pedro Street Station on the A (Blue) Line. Hahn was joined by Metro Board Vice Chair Fernando Dutra, Metro Deputy CEO Sharon Gookin and Metro Deputy Chief of System Security and Law Enforcement Robert Gummer for the announcement at the Norwalk Station, which serves as the eastern terminus of the C Line and a major commuter hub for the Gateway Cities region.

“You can’t take a gun or knife into a Dodger Game, a concert, or a government building, and you shouldn’t be able to bring them on Metro,” said Hahn who first urged the pilot and has championed weapons detection. “Let me be clear: weapons do not belong on Metro. There is no room for compromise on that. My goal is simple but firm: a Metro system where all of our riders feel safe, respected, and confident that they will get to their destination without fear.”

The weapons detection pilot program, using pillar-style scanners, will be conducted by Metro Security Officers at various stations, two stations at a time, for two-month increments, for the next 12 months. Riders will walk between sensors which detect concealed weapons without requiring them to stop and remove any belongings. If flagged by the sensors, riders will be subject to further screenings including a search of their belongings and follow-up questions.

“The Metro Board is committed to helping Metro explore every opportunity to make the system safer for employees and customers,” said Whittier City Council Member and Metro Board First Vice Chair Fernando Dutra. “Testing innovative solutions, such as weapons detection systems, seems like a logical next step in expanding Metro’s safety resources.”

From August through December 2024, Metro conducted the first phase of the weapons detection technology pilot program at Union Station and APU/Citrus College Station in Azusa. In addition to the rider screening process, Metro also tested video analytics systems at Union Station which scan CCTV video feeds in real time to identify threats, including someone brandishing a weapon, and sends alerts to law enforcement. In February, Hahn along with fellow board members Kathryn Barger, Hilda L. Solis, Karen Bass, Fernando Dutra, and James Butts led the Board in expanding the pilot program for this next phase.

“Nothing is more important to Metro than the safety of our employees and customers,” said Stephanie Wiggins, Metro CEO. “The weapons detection pilot is an additional tool to help improve safety on Metro, which includes increasing our uniformed presence on the system, insuring people are only using Metro for transit and working more closely with our city and county partners to address the societal issues of people experiencing homelessness, drug addiction and untreated mental illnesses.”

A report by Metro shows that the passenger screening system technology proved to be effective. While no weapons threats were identified on passengers, the systems detected officers’ service weapons with 100% accuracy. At Hahn’s request, the Board’s February motion also called for Metro to explore bringing the weapons detection technology pilot to the system’s buses. Metro has identified a vendor to conduct the 12-month pilot program on buses and is working to schedule its launch.