Crime on the Los Angeles Metro system has more than doubled between 2020 and 2025, a period marked by a significant reduction in fare enforcement. This shift, according to critics, is a direct result of the transit agency's focus on creating an "equitable" system where fare payment is de-emphasized.
In November 2016, a civil rights complaint was filed by the Labor Community Strategy Center, alleging that LA Metro was "systematically targeting Black riders" through disproportionate citations. The complaint proposed removing police and fare-collection staff, instituting "reparation" policies for Black riders, and ending fare collection.
Shortly after, the Metro board called for a plan to "completely decriminalize fare evasion amongst youth transit users" and prevent their interaction with law enforcement. Metro assumed fare enforcement duties in 2017 and formally ended law enforcement contracts for these duties in 2022. The agency also directed police to focus on "hard crime" instead of fare evasion.
Following these changes, fare enforcement drastically decreased. In 2016, when the sheriff's office handled fare enforcement, officers conducted between 500,000 and 1 million fare checks monthly. By 2025, Metro agents were conducting only about 5,000 fare checks per month. In 2020, Metro established a "Fareless System Initiative Task Force" to explore the feasibility of a fare-free system to advance equity, with former Metro CEO Phil Washington stating that "Equity is very, very important to us."
Critics contend that the decline in fare enforcement has directly contributed to increased lawlessness. Data analyzed suggests that approximately half of Metro riders do not pay their fares. The system has been described as experiencing issues including homelessness, drug use, and violent crime.
In response to safety concerns, Metro moved in 2020 to "re-envision transit safety" by introducing Metro Ambassadors. These unarmed individuals, clad in distinct uniforms, are intended to deter crime and administer NARCAN. However, a December 2025 report by UCLA researchers indicated that ambassadors have faced threats of violence, including being threatened at gunpoint, sexually assaulted, and physically assaulted.
LA Metro is also developing an in-house public safety team, aiming to deploy its own law enforcement officers alongside ambassadors and crisis intervention teams by 2029. During recent observations, police officers on the trains reportedly lacked digital scanners to verify fare payment at gates.
Pro-safety activists suggest that leveraging the existing force of over 200 Transit Security Officers, who could check fares for a larger number of passengers daily, could improve fare compliance and safety. However, the agency's commitment to its equity-focused policies is seen by some as an impediment to enhancing safety on public transit.