Long Beach police to stop patrolling A (Blue) Line no later than early next year

Long Beach police will no longer assign officers to the A (Blue) Line trains and the railway’s eight stations in the city beginning no later than early next year.

The city’s contract with LA Metro ends on Dec. 30, and Long Beach will not seek a new one, although city officials did say they may agree to extend the current accord on a monthly basis until as late as March 31.

When the contract does end, Long Beach officers will continue to respond to emergency calls to Metro trains and stations.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the City Council unanimously agreed to the transition in August while city officials worked on budget recommendations.

This move will allow Long Beach to put nine officers, two sergeants and one lieutenant back into traditional policing roles, which can be difficult to fill as police agencies are struggling to find qualified applicants to become officers. The officers could fill positions concerning neighborhood safety and traffic enforcement, the mayor said.

“This allows us to add more staff to our local operations to help prioritize keeping our community safe and that’s why this is a big opportunity for us,” Richardson said. “Ultimately, we believe this is the right step to make Long Beach safer and to make sure we have a responsible transition on the Metro line.”

He views this as a positive move for the officers, who will be able to move to new assignments sooner rather than later.

In June 2023, Metro’s board of directors voted to move forward with a plan to develop a Metro police force. But the creation of an in-house law enforcement entity is a long-term plan, so it remains unclear who will take over from Long Beach — and perhaps the Los Angeles Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department, which patrol elsewhere on the railway system — in the interim. Setting up a new police agency could take years.

Mayor Richardson said Long Beach would help whatever agency takes over patrolling the A Line, which links Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles.

“At the end of the day, there’s only a finite amount of time left for this contract opportunity,” he said. “So rather than wait, let’s be proactive about this transition.”

Long Beach police have patrolled the A Line in the city since 2017, taking over that stretch from the Sheriff’s Department.

It is unclear what agency will patrol the A Line and its eight stations until a permanent Metro force — or another police agency — is in place.

LA Metro did not return messages seeking comment.

In a statement, the city said: “LA Metro is evaluating who will assume the public-safety services for Metro trains and stations in Long Beach. They will provide further updates, when available.”