The Southern California passenger rail service Metrolink says it is strengthening its efforts to combat human trafficking along its more than 540 miles of tracks.
Earlier this year, Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle joined other transit leaders across the country in signing a United States Department of Transportation pledge to do even more to combat human trafficking.
Traffickers regularly target transit hubs like bus stops and train stations to target victims and recruit vulnerable individuals while often using public transportation to move victims around various locations, officials say.
In the months since Kettle and other industry leaders signed the DOT pledge, Metrolink has begun improving its response to human trafficking in various ways, including providing more training for its employees.
Metrolink says its conductors and engineers already received specialized training to help them recognize and report signs of human trafficking. Now that training is being expanded to frontline employees and new education requirements have been instituted for all Metrolink employees both on trains and in offices.
This year alone, Metrolink has conducted new required training related to human trafficking, and the majority of its workforce has completed a new twice-yearly education requirement.
In addition to improved training for staff members, Metrolink has also begun to roll out public awareness campaigns to leverage the eyes and ears of passengers to help identify and stop human trafficking.
Metrolink Chief Customer Experience Officer Lisa Bahr said human trafficking isn’t just a “global issue” and cooperation will play a “pivotal role” in the fight against it.
“It’s happening right here in Southern California,” Bahr said in a news release. “As a regional public transportation agency, our customers are critical allies, helping us monitor our system for anything out of the ordinary. It’s important that both Metrolink representatives and the traveling public know what to look for and what action to take if they see something suspicious.”
Digital and print materials have been developed and integrated into high-traffic areas in Metrolink trains and at train stations to better inform the public about the agency’s efforts.
Metrolink has also implemented a new reporting system that will help improve data collection, sharing and collaboration with national “counter-trafficking agencies” like the U.S. DOT.
“Human trafficking is a heinous crime that affects tens of thousands of Americans and millions worldwide each year,” Kettle said. “By shining a brighter spotlight on the issue, equipping staff and riders with essential information and resources, and increasing cross-agency collaboration, we have the opportunity to change lives by disrupting how these criminals operate in the communities we serve.”
More information about the common signs of human trafficking can be found on Metrolink’s website. To report suspected human trafficking along Metrolink’s system, you can call or text the agency’s security operations center at 866-640-5190.
