Los Angeles commuters have been improperly detained, pushed, choked and struck by Metropolitan Transportation Authority security guards, according to interviews and internal law enforcement memos obtained by The Times.
Alleged assaults over the last two years have prompted at least 11 investigations by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, which has repeatedly complained to MTA officials about abusive security officers, as the guards are called within the MTA.
Three incidents were captured on surveillance cameras at subway and light-rail stations.
Although the 97 MTA security guards carry guns, batons and pepper spray, they are not legally authorized to act as law enforcement officers. Their main responsibilities are protecting MTA property, guarding revenues and closing subway stations when daily service ends.
"They are not meant to be acting as police officers," said Sheriff's Cmdr. Dan Finkelstein, who oversees the department's transit bureau, which has a contract with the MTA to police local rails and buses. " 'Observe and report' here has become 'observe and take action.' "
MTA security officers operate separately from the Sheriff's Department. The security officers used to report to a Sheriff's Department supervisor, but that was changed two years ago and guards now report directly to the MTA.
An MTA consultant, retired Sheriff's Department commander Charles "Sid" Heal, recently found that the relationship between sheriff's deputies and security officers was strained, in part because their roles were not clearly delineated.
In a report to the MTA board, the consultant said security officers sometimes engaged in police activities even though they lack the legal authority and liability protections that sworn law enforcement officers have.
A new contract between MTA and the Sheriff's Department is under negotiation, and it is expected to return security officers to Sheriff's Department supervision, said MTA spokesman Marc Littman.
"That should provide better communications, integration and oversight," Littman said in an e-mail to The Times.
Sheriff's officials have written letters to MTA officials over the last year alerting them to improper conduct by their security officers.
