Metro Transit Police Department and Ramsey County officials unveiled what they described as an unprecedented partnership to improve safety and overall conditions for riders on the METRO Green Line.

The “Safe and Strong University Avenue” initiative includes Metro Transit Police, St. Paul Police, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Paul Office of Neighborhood Safety, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office and other social services and public health officials from the county as well.

The agencies are specifically targeting the University Avenue corridor, announcing the launch near the Snelling & University Light Rail Train Station.

The implementation of the initiative was not due to an increase in crime, but rather a call from community members to improve the conditions on the METRO Green Line in the area, officials said.

“Today marks the beginning of a powerful new chapter in transit safety,” said Metro Transit Police Department Interim Chief Joe Dotseth.

“This isn’t just another joint operation, this represents a new level of interagency collaboration never seen before.”

Riders and area community members can expect to see an increased officer presence, including dedicated police patrol beats, as well as more TRIP agents checking train fares, and public health and social service professionals on and around the light rail trains, according to Metro Transit and Ramsey County officials.

Chief Dotseth said serious crime remained consistently low as of the announcement, but behavior on board and surrounding the trains was a problem.

“We talk a lot about quality of life crimes. It could be people smoking on the train, playing loud music, being disorderly conduct, those are a lot of the issues we’re going to be addressing on the system through our real-time information center,” Dotseth said.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said his office has been receiving detailed case information from police since the partners started meeting in the fall. Since August, prosecutors have charged 80% of the 111 cases reported along the University corridor, “which is a high charging rate,” Choi added.

“What we are asking for is better investigation on those cases and more information so that we can take the appropriate steps in the court system,” Choi said.

‘”And I can tell you already that we’re seeing a remarkable increase in just that information that’s necessary for the judges and the prosecutors to make the appropriate decisions, to get stay away orders, to work on alternatives, to get people to address the underlying reasons of their justice component, which oftentimes is mental health related or addiction related.”

“You know, 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, said Ramsey County Safety and Justice Service Team Deputy County Manager Gloria Reyes.

“This work is not being done in isolation. In 2024, we held two community listening sessions to help shape these efforts and ensure they reflect the voices of those who are most impacted.”

A couple of miles down University Avenue, at Dale Street, the Metro Transit Police Homeless Action Team was on the ground with members of other partner agencies. They were handing out food, water, naloxone, fentanyl test strips, hygiene products, clothes and housing vouchers for those in need of shelter.

“When we look back on this, maybe a year from now, what we hope to say is that we get the bad behavior to stop. We draw a line in the sand, and we say that these are the things that we can no longer tolerate,” Choi said.

Reyes also called on community organizations, including nonprofits, service providers and cultural groups, to reach out and get involved in the effort to improve conditions on the METRO Green Line.

Riders can provide ongoing feedback on Metro Transit’s website.