Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III gave his quarterly crime report for bus and light rail routes to the Metropolitan Council Wednesday.

The report shows that during the first six months of 2023, crimes such as weapons, drugs, assaults and theft rose 40% compared to the same time period in 2022.

Morales told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he knows there is “still a lot of work to do” in order for those numbers to come down significantly.

“The real challenge is coming in October when it gets colder. We have to stay consistent to keep control of the situation,” said Morales.  “I tell you it’s a challenge that we have to work around. And, I get that this is a new system that we report to and that’s fine.”

But, Chief Morales, who’s been on the job since late February, said there is a bright spot because during his brief tenure, crime numbers have started to trend downward. He credited his officers for interacting better with the community and targeting crime hot spots.

“So, we have them out in the system, getting out of their cars and being intentional about where we’re putting them,” said Morales.  “We’re seeing these high crime areas take place in our historical areas, and we’re assigning [officers] there so they can be visible.”

Morales also said Metro Transit PD is still down about 65 officers, but his staff is working on an aggressive recruitment campaign to try and attract new officers, even some as far away as New York, to join MTPD.