By July, the City of Edmonton says it will have 30 more peace officers dedicated to public transit.
That means it will have a total of 126 transit peace officers dedicated to buses, the LRT and transit centres.
“We are collectively committed to a safe and reliable transit system,” said David Jones, Edmonton’s chief bylaw enforcement officer.
City council approved the additional officers back in April: 15 are deploying this month while the other half are expected to be in place by the summer.
Jones said the new officers will boost proactive enforcement at stations with higher call volumes. That includes the city’s downtown.
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He hopes the reinforcements improve how people feel about taking transit.
“When it comes to that public perception, lots of times that uniform provides that increased perception of safety,” Jones said.
That perception is still mixed.
Global News spoke with a number of people waiting for the train at a downtown LRT platform.
“I feel it’s not very safe for a woman because you see everywhere there are people having drugs,” said one woman who didn’t provide her name.
“I have never had a problem being on transit so really don’t have bad things to say about it,” another woman told Global News.
Edmonton peace officers will also be rolling out a dedicated traffic safety team this year. It will have enforcement responsibilities, including speeding violations.
Jones expects the team will have 22 frontline officers by the end of 2027.
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