Transit safety report promises action in response to December murder of driver Shawn Yim

October 6, 2025

With work on the next two-year King County budget already underway at the King County Council, a committee on Monday heard about plans to put new transit safety efforts into action, a welcome effort in the wake of Metro operator Shawn Yim’s death last year.

Monday’s report, including overall safety initiatives, actions already taken, an implementation plan for future efforts and next steps, came out of months of work by the Regional Transit Safety Task Force, which formed in March after legislation from Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Reagan Dunn was approved.

“Today’s release of the Transit Safety Report shows how we’ve come together as a region with a shared conviction: that transit safety is not optional – it is a necessity,” Balducci said. “Every operator behind the wheel, every rider on board, and every neighborhood our buses and trains pass through deserves to feel protected, respected, and cared for. But this is only the beginning. Now comes the urgent work of transforming the ideas contained in this report into action: into tools that hold us accountable, into systems that respond swiftly with compassion and effectiveness, and into a transit network that is safe for all.”

The task force identified six initiatives to focus safety efforts around, with highlights from the implementation plan including:

• To eliminate delays and confusion during emergencies, regional interagency coordination is strengthened through establishing a regional response infrastructure with formal MOUs, unified response protocols, standardized incident definitions, and a proposed Unified Regional Operations Center that connects Metro, Sound Transit, law enforcement, dispatchers, and local jurisdictions.
• To increase rider trust and accountability, a regionwide Rider Code of Conduct campaign introduces standardized signage and aligned enforcement protocols under K.C.C. 28.96 and local laws.
• To provide visible presence and quicker interventions at high-incident locations, on-the-ground safety is enhanced with increased staffing of diverse responders, site-based pilots, expanded real-time data sharing, and outreach and reporting tools that shorten response times and improve perceptions of safety.
• To reduce daily risks faced by frontline staff, operator safety is reinforced through installation of physical barriers across the bus fleet, paired with new training, post-incident support, and supervisor backup.
• To ensure vulnerable riders are met with alternative responses instead of enforcement-first approaches, task force priorities expand to include behavioral health crisis response, youth-centered safety strategies, and support for unhoused riders.

“This countywide effort – thanks to the advocacy and leadership of ATU Local 587 – has made it clear that public safety is a key component of providing a transit system that is fair, equitable, and serves everyone,” Dunn said. “The era of lax enforcement while ignoring the real safety concerns of King County residents belongs firmly in the rear-view mirror.”

“Today the Regional Transit Safety Taskforce provided the County Council with an Implementation plan going forward. This is an important milestone in the process, but now the hard work of implementation starts,” said ATU 587 President Greg Woodfilll. “Our Union, its members and our passengers will be watching and waiting for actions that result in tangible and recognizable improvements. Safety, order, and accountability must be restored on and around public transit.”

Creation of the task force was a direct response to increasing safety issue aboard transit throughout the region: the tragic murder of Metro operator Shawn Yim last December, increasing operator assaults, drug exposure risks, and broader public safety pressures.

“Taking care of our employees and our riders is our number one priority. Our focus is on improving our responsiveness, care for employees and long-term support when incidents occur,” said Metro General Manager Michelle Allison. “Metro is installing safety barriers on all of our buses. We’re pursuing funding to maintain boosted Metro Transit Police and Transit Security Officer staffing levels. We are expanding our successful behavioral health and ambassador programs to prevent and deescalate incidents. Across our agency, we’re doing everything we can—and we’re simultaneously seeking external collaboration to make broader, needed changes. That includes continuing to work with regional security, law enforcement, and behavioral health partners to improve the overall safety landscape across communities and neighborhoods.”

Sound Transit leadership also applauded the work to step up safety on regional transit.

“Public safety is foundational to a thriving transit system,” said Dow Constantine, CEO of Sound Transit. “We're proud to join regional partners in taking action to deliver safe, reliable service for every rider and transit worker in our communities.”

The task force convened 14 working sessions since March, engaging more than 250 stakeholders across King County and coming up with a host of gaps, challenges and solutions. The implementation plan focuses responses to regional alignment – coordination, responder and outreach staffing – and transit agency – field staffing and operator support, workforce training, safe transit environments, and employee and rider reporting systems.

“The recommendations in the report align with King County’s recently expanded crisis care services, which are available to everyone—whether you’re at home, on the bus, at a transit station, or anywhere in King County,” said Susan McLaughlin, the director of King County DCHS’ Behavioral Health and Recovery Division. “Anyone can call 988 to talk to a trained Crisis Line operator, get an in-person response from a crisis or outreach team if needed, or walk into the first Crisis Care Center in Kirkland. These services are available 24/7, regardless of insurance status. The Department of Community and Human Services is partnering with Metro, as resources allow, to make sure that all riders know they have access to these crisis services. The collaboration between DCHS and Metro leverages the robust behavioral health system and increases access to treatment.”

“KCSO is thankful for the work done to identify the opportunities to deliver safer transportation systems for riders and transit workers,” a representative for the King County Sheriff’s Office said. “KCSO is committed to doing its part in this work and looks forward to being involved in implementing the strategies that are approved.”

This report work follows up on the $26.1 million made in this summer’s supplemental county budget for safety and security investments for King County Metro to fund more Transit Police and Transit Security Officers across its regional network. The funding also went to building larger and stronger operator safety partitions for all Metro buses.

A key next step is to launch what the Task Force has called the Implementation Review Group, which will function as the governance body, alongside a consultant team. That group will further define the scope and timelines and then come up with short-, medium-, and long-term actions they can take.

“The solutions outlined today are the result of months of collaboration from a broad coalition of individuals and organizations that understand that transit safety and community safety go hand in hand," said King County Councilmember Jorge L. Barón. "The report presented today provides a steady foundation for this work and I look forward to working with Metro, labor and system partners, and community members to build a stronger, safer, and more thriving transit system.”

“The Transit Safety Task Force has provided a blueprint for regional collaboration – 160 recommendations -- on ways local governments throughout King County can partner to make our transit system safe for riders and drivers.  Our transit system needs to be a safe place for everyone," said King County Councilmember De'Sean Quinn.