What's the future of public safety on King County transit? It depends who you ask

King County officials, union leaders, and transit riders are discussing their goals for safety on local transit.

The county's new Transit Safety and Security Task Force convened for the first time on Thursday, just over three months since the stabbing death of King County Metro bus driver Shawn Yim. He was fatally stabbed amid an altercation with a passenger in December, prompting renewed calls for enhanced safety measures for operators and riders.

Yim's death also occurred a day after Metro announced it would indefinitely halt bus service in the Little Saigon area of Seattle's Chinatown-International District neighborhood, citing ongoing safety concerns near 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street — an area that has become known as a crime hotspot in recent years. Service for the neighborhood resumed earlier this month.

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Greg Woodfill, the President of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587, acknowledged that the task force can't solve all of the public safety issues transit riders face, but the meeting could be launch a more coordinated and creative approach taken by transit agencies and law enforcement.

"No single entity is responsible for our current state of public safety, and no entity alone can improve it," Woodfill said. "Our union's goal was to gather you all here today to hopefully start coming up with solutions collectively. Less finger pointing and more cooperation are desperately needed."

King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison said the agency has hired more security officers and transit police, and expanded the work of behavior health specialists from the King County Department of Community and Human Services.

"Our next set of buses will come with an improved safety partition installed, and we will retrofit our existing fleet," Allison added.

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Other speakers turned to the role of law enforcement in establishing a new standard for public safety on transit.

King County Executive Dow Constantine used the launch of Operation Safe Transit, a pilot program that was launched by the King County Sheriff's Office in May 2024, as an example of a step law enforcement has already taken to improve safety.

The program is focused on combatting crime at bus stops and at station programs. In addition to connecting people with behavioral health and housing services, the program has also lead to over 500 arrests, according to Constantine.

"We're going to continue that work in a multi-pronged approach to...make the transit system as safe as we can," he said.

King County Undersheriff Jesse Anderson told the crowd that he wants to see a "zero-tolerance" approach to both verbal and physical attacks against transit operators.

"When the rules and laws are enforced fairly and consistently, behavior will change. Setting the expectation of culturally acceptable behavior will correct bad behavior," Anderson said.

In addition to the over 500 arrests made since the launch of Operation Safe Transit, Anderson added that there have been over 28,000 "contacts" from law enforcement, which includes coach checks, station checks, and following buses.

But some community members say they want to see a more measured approach when it comes to law enforcement and public transit.

Kiana Parker shared her experience as a King County Metro rider.

"I am just as angry as many of you when I heard about Shawn Yim's death," Parker said. "But also with the law enforcement language that has been used so far, I can tell you about how I'm also really concerned about how we collectively respond in this moment."

Parker is a woman of color with a disability, and also serves on King County Metro's safety task force. She said many people on the task force are community members of color, and don't think the solution to public safety issues on transit should just be about "flooding the zone with more law enforcement."

"It really has to include more honest conversations about what causes fear. Because for people like me, when I see law enforcement, that doesn't make me feel safe outside, that doesn't make me comfortable on transit."

During the meeting, community members gathered at tables of 10 to 12 people to share their experiences riding transit, and what changes they think could be implemented to make riders' and operators' experiences safer.

Transit agency leaders and other officials took notes while others stood up and shared what they had discussed, such as a universal code of conduct for transit, cleaning up transit zones, and studying what other transit agencies have done to improve safety.

While Kiana Parker said she didn't always share the same opinions as the law enforcement officers who sat at her table, she was glad they attended the meeting.

"What you need in transit conversations is a diversity of lived experience to really create a transit network that generally works for everyone," Parker said. "I do think that there is a way for law enforcement folks, community members, and transit agencies to do a better job of working together."

Throughout the meeting, stakeholders mentioned the need for expanded housing, behavior health, and addiction treatment resources to address the root causes of violence on public transit, but the question of where funding for those services remain.

King County is currently looking at a $150 million dollar budget gap, but King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci said some public safety solutions won't require new funding.

Figuring out how to invest in more security and behavioral health treatment will be an issue for the council, Balducci added, but determining what community members want is a step forward.

"I think having a vision for exactly what is needed and building the community support for that vision helps us then go and build resources for it," Balducci said.

When it comes to the level of police involvement during a crisis on King County Metro, Balducci said there are situations that "absolutely require" a law enforcement response, but more collaboration is needed between police and crisis prevention teams to determine when it's appropriate to send in officers, and how avoid "over-responding with law enforcement."

"If somebody is having a mental health crisis, but they're not a danger to themselves or others, can we send supportive services that connect that person to the things they need off the bus?" Balducci said. "That [way] we actually build that person's future better, and create a safer community for themselves and us."

The task force will continue meeting into May, and a final proposal will go the the King County Council in September, ahead of budget discussions.