Cops, service providers increasing presence on St. Paul’s University Ave, Green Line

Law enforcement will have a more visible presence along St Paul s University Avenue and the Green Line and organization providers will be guiding people to guidance including addiction medicine and housing services Metro Transit police stated Wednesday A new initiative Safe and Strong University Avenue will bring together law enforcement facility providers and prosecutors It s planned to last until at least the end of summer and may be extended Metro Transit police St Paul police and the Ramsey County sheriff s office will conduct high visibility coordinated enforcement operations on the Green Line corridor based on precise information from our crime intelligence squad noted Joe Dotseth interim Metro Transit police chief at a Wednesday press conference near University and Snelling avenues Metro Transit is evolving dedicated police beats in this area a proven approach that reduces crime and builds residents trust through consistent officer presence including a Hamline-Midway beat Dotseth added They also have the Transit Response Unit which is out on the system to deal with serious crime The greater part serious crimes were up slightly on the Metro Transit system in the first quarter of this year compared to last year but down from two years ago In the categories of robbery assault homicide sex offense theft from person motor carriage and burglary there were reports in the first quarter of this year there were no homicides compared with in the same period last year and in the first quarter of according to Metro Transit statistics Constituents soundness approach included in plan Safe and Strong University Avenue builds on Metro Transit s ongoing work to expand official presence on transit which goes beyond police and includes public operation officers and TRIP agents Transit Rider Stake Project Doseth announced This is not solely about enforcement he revealed While serious criminal behavior will product in arrest our collaborative approach prioritizes connecting people with services whenever viable Responders from St Paul-Ramsey County Inhabitants Vitality are working alongside the Metro Transit s Homeless Action Squad to bring a citizens soundness approach to concerns that arise on population transit revealed Gloria Reyes deputy Ramsey County manager of the Safety and Justice Organization Gang Masses robustness responders provide Narcan along with referrals for services Ramsey County s mental fitness response teams are also supporting people in emotional distress helping stabilize situations and guiding people to long term care Reyes commented People who are struggling people who are causing a disturbance there s law enforcement there but there s also an opportunity for us to get to the root causes of what s occurring on the Metro Green Line Reyes noted We are seeing a inhabitants physical condition dilemma and we need to bring our constituents healthcare predicament workers out into the field Prosecution approach includes looking at mental wellness addiction Ramsey County Attorney John Choi stated they ve been meeting with Metro Transit police St Paul s police and Office of Neighborhood Safety along with the Ramsey County sheriff s office The light rail system truly belongs to the people he explained And we ve had various challenges over the past inadequate years We re starting to see specific better outcomes but we know that we need to do more Since August the Ramsey County Attorney s Office has been asking law enforcement agencies that present cases for charging consideration to designate which ones happened in the University Avenue Green Line corridor There have been cases in the corridor presented since August and the county attorney s office has charged more than percent of them What we are asking for is better inspection on those cases and more information so that we can take the appropriate measures in the court system Choi explained That s led to prosecutors asking judges to issue orders to stay away from transit or geographic areas in several instances and also to efforts to address the underlying reasons of their justice involvement which oftentimes is mental soundness related or addiction related he added For violent offenses Choi announced his office still seeks prison time or the recommendation under state sentencing guidelines but various of the cases that emerge from the area are misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor level Ridership below pandemic levels Metro Transit ridership has been increasing though it still remains below pre-pandemic numbers There were million rides on the system last year compared with million in according to Metro Transit content Related Articles Bayport couple located dead in home natural causes determined Group calls for Target to apologize St Paul PD to look at false reporting after men accused of being armed Wildfire evacuation orders lifted in northern Minnesota What Minnesota laws and policies changed after George Floyd Here are topics deadliest days on roads kick off Memorial Day weekend In the first quarter of proactive calls for police function by Metro Transit officers increased compared to the same quarter last year We re aggressively targeting quality-of-life violations that diminish the riders experience Doseth reported which could include smoking on the train or people acting in a disorderly way Serious crimes on the system remain consistently low In a fall survey more than of respondents noted the system felt safer than it did six months ago in part due to increased presence Metro Transit revealed