HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Starting Sept. 1, you may see more uniformed METRO officers spending time on your public transit commute in Houston.<\/p>\n
METRO confirmed its officers will spend more time on buses to reduce crime and improve the public’s perception of the system’s safety.<\/p>\n
“I do feel it’s an unfair stereotype,” METRO PD Sgt. Omar Franklin said. “When I first heard that, I was like, really? But as I started to ride the system, I’ve been to several cities, I was like, this is actually very safe.”<\/p>\n
According to the latest METRO Police Department data from October 2024 and September 2025, 517 major crimes occurred during that period — just over one major crime per day.<\/p>\n
A major crime can range from a phone being stolen to homicides. METRO said someone does not have to be injured for it to be considered a major crime.<\/p>\n
METRO data shows more than 226,000 people ride Houston’s public transit system every weekday.<\/p>\n
“We’re here for them and not showing up for them only when there is a call,” Franklin said.<\/p>\n
The patrols, METRO said, will help deter crime and make riders feel safer, now that all sworn METRO officers, including the top brass, will spend at least two hours a week riding buses.<\/p>\n
It’s a change METRO rider Towan Triso said is needed.<\/p>\n
“I think it would interact with some of the conflict between people on the bus, and the bus driver won’t have to be distracted as much,” Triso said.<\/p>\n
The change will have officers on buses for at least 580 more hours a week and will track which lines are patrolled and when.<\/p>\n
“Having the police presence, especially in off hours, is a good thing to do,” Sidhant Kumar said.<\/p>\n
Officers on bus patrols will also conduct welfare checks at bus stops and report any that need maintenance.<\/p>\n
“This is nothing new for us; we just want to ensure that everyone gets a piece of the pie and we share the wealth,” Franklin said.<\/p>\n
METRO typically releases its latest crime statistics in September and told ABC13 it is working on compiling them.<\/p>\n
METRO says that while this initiative is bus-specific, they also have a presence on the light rail.<\/p>\n
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