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More SEPTA police to patrol trains ahead of 2026 events in Philadelphia
SEPTA is increasing police presence on trains to enhance rider safety and address smaller crimes.
PHILADELPHIA - SEPTA Transit Police say they have seen a 40 percent drop in serious crime on trains over the last two years and are now shifting their focus to quality-of-ride issues, including smaller crimes that make riders uncomfortable.
What we know:
Some officers are now working full time onboard the trains, checking each train and making sure vulnerable riders are safe. Officers Martinez and Miller are tasked with monitoring for people sleeping, causing disturbances, smoking, doing drugs and openly drinking on the trains.
"We have a huge system within SEPTA and we only have so many police officers out there policing, so we have to prioritize what we are going to go after," SEPTA Transit Police Deputy Chief James Zuggi said.
"We think we are in a good position where a drop in crime and we want to start focusing on the quality ride issues, some of the smaller crimes that make our customers uncomfortable on the trains."
The goal is a constant police presence, both to reassure riders and deter potential offenders.
"It does two things for a person who is a rider back and forth to work going home from school they see a police officer and feel safe that there is a police officer there for somebody who wishes to commit a crime they see our police officers and say I’m not going to commit a crime because there’s police officers here," said Zuggi.
Officers are also issuing code violation notices for open containers of alcohol and responding to disturbances as they happen.
What's next:
Even when officers are not visible on the trains, SEPTA’s new virtual patrol division is monitoring over 30,000 cameras and providing real-time information to officers. The division is staffed 24 hours a day, with officers reviewing live camera feeds to identify anything that may be happening on the system.
Staff can request officers to clear areas where groups are loitering or where vulnerable populations may need assistance.
"Staffed 24 hours a day and what the officers do on an everyday basis is just review cameras, live they’ll be looking through trying to identify anything that may be going on," said Zuggi.
The deputy chief said these changes are partly in response to big events coming to Philadelphia in the summer, including the America 250 celebrations and the FIFA World Cup.
"2026 has impacted some of our deployments and how we are looking forward to how we are going to address those things but 2026 or not we have to address the issues on our transit," said Zuggi.
Officers say they plan to keep these strategies in place for years to come, with a focus on keeping Philadelphia residents and those in surrounding counties safe.
What we don't know:
It is not yet clear how many additional officers will be assigned to full-time train patrols or if there will be further changes to deployment as the 2026 events approach.