Transit%20Security:%20%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Small%20and%20Medium%20Sized%20Bus%20Operators

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Transit Security Best Practices for Small and
Medium Sized Bus Operators

• Virginia Transit AssociationSpring Conference
• May 29, 2003
• Eva Lerner-Lam and Mark Stewart
• Palisades Security Consulting Team
• www.palisadesgroup.com/PalisadesSecurity/index.htm
  

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Special Challenges For Transit

• Open nature of transit makes it an attractive
  target
• Multi-jurisdictional environments require
  aggressive coordination and cooperation
• Multi-modal interactions can increase
  vulnerability

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Types of Threats Against Transit

• Armed Assault
• Hostage Taking
• Chemical Release On Board
• Explosive on Board
• Chemical Outside
• Explosive/Sabotage Outside

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Security Breaches on Public Transportation in the
U.S.

• August 6, 1927 Two bombs in two NYC Subway
  stations
• December 7, 1993 Colin Ferguson kills 6,
  injures 17 on LIRR at rush hour
• December 15 and 21, 1994 Edward Leary explodes
  two bombs on the NYC subway system, injuring 53
  people
• October 9, 1995 "Sons of the Gestapo" kills 1,
  injures 65 on sabotaged Amtrak Sunset Limited in
  Arizona desert
• November 27, 1998 Deranged passenger on a
  Seattle Metro bus kills bus operator, one
  passenger and injures 32 others.
• May 2, 2001Bus hijacker in LA crashes into a
  minivan, killing the minivan driver and injuring
  seven others.

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Good Security is Good Security

• Non-terrorist
• Terrorist

Opposite is also true
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Key Strategies
Vulnerability Assessments
TerroristThreats
Non-TerroristThreats
TRANSIT
Deter Mitigate
Deter Mitigate
Evacuation,Recovery Continuity
Infrastructure Hardening
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Telephone Interviews

• Transit Security Chiefs interviewed, May 2003
• Capital Metro, Austin
• Greater Cleveland Transit Authority
• Indygo, Indianapolis
• Twin Cities Metro Transit, Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Portland Tri-Met
• San Antonio Transit
• Santa Clara Transit
• Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
• Tampa Hartline Transit

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Interview Questions

• What actions have you taken since 9/11 that have
  proven cost-effective in preventing or minimizing
  threats against your customers and employees?
• Tax revenues are down and budgets are getting
  squeezedhow has this affected your ability to
  react to security threats since 9/11?
• What lessons have you learned?

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Cost-Effective Actions

• Attended FTA Connecting Communities Forums
• Utilized National Transit Institute resources
• Used FTA grants for drills

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Cost-Effective Actions, cond.

• Operations
• Checkpoints during peak pm hours at major
  transfers
• Vary routine patrol tactics depending on DHS
  alerts
• Get on local agency emergency call-out lists
• K-9 units

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Cost-Effective Actions, cond.

• Operations, cond.
• Organize and analyze security data for trend
  analyses to support counter-terrorism activities
• Provide phones with toll-free 911 at transit
  stations
• Leveraged use of digital cameras and video
  surveillance equipment
• Smart card access/credentialing programs

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Cost-Effective Actions, cond.

• Personnel
• Undercover officer programs (VRE example)
• Familiarity with and adoption of federal Incident
  Command System (ICS)
• Rework existing security and emergency response
  protocols per FTA Color-Coded Guidelines
• Conduct Tabletop exercises
• Visit/talk with other transit properties for best
  practices

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Cost-Effective Actions, cond.

• Personnel, cond.
• Create opportunities for bus personnel to meet
  with sheriffs department and other emergency
  response agencies
• New employee orientation meet chief of police
  and commander of contracted security
• Keep fare inspection force apprised of new
  security awareness procedures
• Take free courses offered by some police
  departments (Personal protection, workplace
  violence, road rage, Verbal Judo)

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Cost-Effective Actions, cond.

• Inter-agency
• SWAT and Special Operations briefings to bus
  operators and maintenance workers
• Participate on city and county disaster planning
  committees
• Contribute buses to live drills by other public
  agencies

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Cost-Effective Actions, cond.

• Customers
• Focus on awareness and provide if this
  happensthen do this information

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Impact of Budget Cuts on Security

• Very little new funding
• Security budgets generally holding steady,
  despite falling tax revenues and fares
• Agencies are using overtime strategically
• Leveraging relationships with other public
  agencies
• Leveraging technology deployed for other
  purposes
• Have to be creative

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Lessons Learned

• Generally-held beliefs
• Security is everyones job (same as Safety)
• Security is a moving target and threats seek out
  your weakest points have to be flexible and
  adapt quickly and efficiently
• Every day is different
• For transit security personnel, 9/11 should not
  have been a wake-up call security focus should
  always have been there

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Lessons Learned, cond.

• Do
• Stay on top of things, encourage pro-active
  attitudes
• Take the time to do things right
• Develop good working relationships with first
  responders
• Work closely with labor unions on security
  procedures
• Emphasize prevention

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Lessons Learned, cond.

• Do
• Pay attention to details make sure every
  security building block is solid before moving on
  and counting on it
• Get buy-in from everyone, from bus cleaning crews
  to upper management
• Look at the DHS/FTA color coding levels and adopt
  plans to handle each raised level of security
• Forge good relationships with local safety
  services that you rely on (get them to be
  advocates for you)

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Lessons Learned, cond.

• Dont
• be afraid to try different things
• settle for thats the way we always did it
• believe in If it isnt broken dont fix it
• forget that everything changes you have to plan
  exactly what to do, under every circumstance
• expect lots of funding
• think it cant happen to you

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In addition

• Bookmark websites
• www.dhs.gov
• www.tsa.gov
• www.fta.dot.gov
• http//www.transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov/
• www.fema.gov
• http//www.fema.gov/regions/iii/index.shtm
• www.redcross.org
• Other local and regional emergency websites

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In addition

• Radio and wireless communications
• Integrate across agencies and jurisdictions
• BUT
• Ensure redundancy
• Breaking News Use of Weblogs (BLOGS) for your
  security team
• www.blogger.com
• www.xanga.com

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Must Dos

• Update and refresh e-mails and telephone numbers
  on desktop computers and directories on
  handhelds, including cellphones
• Bookmark key websites
• Include your IT staff in your security meetings
• Drill and practice!

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In Summary

• Security threats are real, whether
  terrorist-related or not
• Good security is good security (Security is Job
  1)
• Build--and leverage--strong relationships with
  other public agencies
• Pay attention to details and be flexible
• Involve everyone in your security planning

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Downloads and URLs

• www.palisadesgroup.com