Chief's message
The King County Metro Transit Police Department is a dedicated partner in providing safe and accessible transit for all members of the community. We are committed to building trust through collaboration and community engagement as a way to address safety concerns experienced by those who use transit. We are a part of Metro’s ongoing mission of creating a mobility system that gives everyone in King County an opportunity to thrive. We embrace that mission and believe in its impact on the community.
The mission of the Metro Transit Police is to ‘keep our transit system safe and make it safer’ for transit customers and employees.
Transit policing is facing a time of unprecedented change. We work hard to adapt to the evolving environment, smaller budgets, and higher community expectations of law enforcement. I am proud and honored to be your Chief for the Metro Transit Police, to lead an already stellar group of law enforcement professionals through a new era in policing. The Metro Transit Police has 81 law enforcement positions and three administrative professionals committed to providing exceptional service to the eighth largest transit agency in the country. We are a full service agency with 24-hour patrol coverage supported by investigative units, bicycle patrol deputies, anti-terrorism detectives and plain-clothes detectives. The mission of the Metro Transit Police is to “keep our transit system safe and make it safer” for transit customers and employees. We use a collaborative approach to accomplishing our mission and understand that our valuable partnerships are critical for our success. Metro security and fare enforcement officers are valued partners that provide an important, visible presence and enhances safety on transit routes. We also work with regional law enforcement partners to address local community problems with collaborative patrols, joint operations, and sharing information. We recognize however, that the most important partners are community members, employees, and customers of Metro Transit. We are committed to listening to the community, adapting to changing viewpoints about policing priorities and building a more transparent, just and inclusive transit police agency.
We understand that a safe and accessible mobility system helps improve people’s lives, and is vital to this diverse and growing region. We demonstrate this through our values of “Focusing on Service, Being Responsive, and Staying Active.” These values coupled with a strong partnership with Metro Transit, local public safety organizations, and the community will help us achieve our mission. I am proud of what this law enforcement organization has accomplished in its short history and look forward to serving as your chief of police as we advance it into the future.
Sincerely,
Chief José Marenco
Chief of Metro Transit Police