Metro is following through on plans to prohibit people alleged to have committed serious infractions on its property from returning.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors voted 8-0 yesterday (Thursday) to approve a new policy allowing the transit agency to issue citations banning individuals arrested for assault or sex-related crimes from its system.
The policy will take effect on June 2 or later “as may be necessary for all administrative processes to be in place,” WMATA said in a press release.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said WMATA board member Don Drummer, a Maryland representative who chairs the safety committee.
Bans could be implemented for three types of infractions:
- Sex crimes, including indecent exposure and lewd conduct
- Assaults on Metro employees and contractors
- Assaults on passengers
The bans would run 45 days for a first offense, 90 for the second and a full year for the third. Those who return to Metro property during a ban could face additional charges for trespassing.
“What we’re really trying to get at is repeat and violent offenders,” Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Anzallo said when briefing members of the WMATA board’s safety and operations committee.
According to Anzallo, the additional tools will help to address a challenge that involves a relatively small number of individuals who engage in assaults or lewd behavior.
“We have about 40 individuals we think are a problem,” the transit police chief said, noting that nearly all of the known offenders are adults.
Metro attempted to impose a similar ban on people arrested for sex and gun-related crimes in 2021, but abandoned the effort.
To formulate the new policy, WMATA officials looked at what was in place in the main transit agencies in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta and the San Francisco Bay area. Four of the six have enacted formal policies allowing bans for conduct violations.
According to Metro, there were 76 sexual-related crimes and 227 employee assaults reported in 2024 across its system.
Tracy Hadden Loh, a D.C. representative on the WMATA board and most vocal advocate for the new policy, called the frequency of assaults on staff an eye-opener.
“It’s a shocking number,” she said.
Board member Kamilah Martin-Proctor said she supports the policy, but sought guarantees that staff would be trained to appropriately deal with situations that arise.
Proctor, who was appointed as a federal government representative during the Biden administration, asked for a focus on “making sure everyone’s civil rights are respected and remain intact.”
Per the approved policy, citations can be appealed with a written request mailed or delivered to WMATA within five calendar days of when they were issued. A appeals process will be overseen by a legal expert independent of the transit system, staff said.
Until June 2, existing regulations will remain in place. They allow for a ban of up to 24 hours for those caught violating the system’s code of conduct.
Metro Chief Operations Officer Brian Dwyer said the new policy on banning is the latest step in the transit agency’s campaign to improve the safety and security of its rail and bus networks.
Those efforts — which have included increased police patrols and surveillance, the rollout of body-worn cameras, a courtesy stop program for bus riders and taller fare gates to address fare evasion — have been paying dividends, Dwyer said.
“Crime in the system is at a seven-year low,” he said.
Virginia and D.C. have passed laws enhancing penalties for assaults against public transit personnel.
In Maryland, state legislators are currently considering a measure to ban people who assault transit workers and passengers. The legislation would also require the Maryland Transit Administration to convene a workgroup with WMATA and others to develop a rider code of conduct and a internal safety program that strengthens protections for riders and workers.
