SacRT is dedicating $1 million to improve safety across the transit network

Patricia Jones, Staff Writer

December 8, 2025

A Sacramento Regional Transit train arrives at the City College Station, near Hughes Stadium and the campus parking garage, on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif.

Sacramento Regional Transit is taking a major step to ensure rider safety and experience with a $1 million investment to expand its safety and security program.

This is a great concept for Sacramento to make sure all riders have a safe and pleasant trip to their destination. Many Sacramento City College students take light rail to and from campus, with a stop located adjacent to the campus parking lot.

“This project aims to put more people where they’re needed, monitor operations more closely, and ensure the front lines are fully staffed across the system,” said SacRT officials in a news release.

New protocols are being introduced to make travel safer and more reliable for both employees and riders. Light rail trains and buses play a critical role for those without personal transportation or for riders looking to save money, and everyone should feel secure while using them.

This investment matters a lot to students, workers and everyone who depends on transit every day. From my own experience, there have been times when riding the light rail didn’t feel completely safe. I once had my phone stolen, and no one was there to help. Experiences like that highlight the importance of this new safety initiative. Greater staff presence could make transit safer and give riders peace of mind.

According to SacRt.com, improved security measures include:

Train new transit ambassadors
Hire additional security staff
Add more frontline operating personnel
Expand monitoring of 2,000-plus security cameras
Increase transit ambassador positions from 40 to 50
Bring on additional security and operations officers

These measures are also expected to reduce fare evasion and improve overall rider accountability. With more staff and better monitoring, riders should notice a stronger presence and feel safer during their trips.

According to SacRT, current and future staffing includes:

1 lieutenant
3 sergeants
9 deputies
2 detectives
8 armed sheriff security officers
50 transit ambassadors
70 blue knight security guards
12 security operations center staff
Other supporting staff
Collaborations with police officers from local jurisdictions

Current crime rate:

SacRT reports that the system’s crime rate is extremely low — just 3.7 crimes per 1 million boardings, down from 7.5 incidents per 1 million last year. As SacRT General Manager and CEO Henry Li stated in the news release:

“This investment is not about starting from scratch — it’s about building on a strong foundation.”

City College student feedback:

The Express spoke to Sacramento City College student who often uses the light rail, Malik Williams.

How do you feel about SacRT investing $1 million into safety?

“I feel adding $1 million for safety is a great idea because a lot of stuff be going on and assaults and vandalism has occurred more often, this will help the workers, seniors, students and families stay safe getting to and [from] their destination.”

Do you think these changes will make a difference?

“I believe it will make a huge difference. It won’t eliminate every issue and safety concern but it’s best to be safe than sorry.”

How do you feel riding early in the morning or late at night?

“I personally feel fine when traveling early morning and night. I make sure I’m aware of my surroundings and stay alert, following the rules.”

Would you recommend SacRT to someone visiting Sacramento?

“I feel they do their jobs to the best of their abilities and are fair with the passengers. Some people make it harder for them to do their jobs and they have to be cool and patient about [it].”

Do security officers do their job effectively?

“Yes they do but [there] is only so much they can do. Their job is to report and call the police.”

Donate to The Express

$850

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of the Sac City Express. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributors

Patricia Jones, Staff Writer

Patricia Jones is a staff writer for the Express. This is her fourth semester for the Express, and she is a journalism major at Sacramento City College. She chose to return to the Express because she felt at home, and they encouraged her to get better in her writing. Patricia has always loved to watch criminal trials and has wanted to write stories about high-profile criminal cases. Stories that caught her eye growing up were the Mendénez brother trial and the trial of the officers in the Rodney King beating. She wants to set an example for her community because she does not see a lot of journalists who look like her. She likes showing her family that it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, if you work hard and stay determined, you can achieve anything. After taking around 10 years off from school, Patricia told herself, “You weren’t raised to quit. You were raised to change lives, and you finish with the biggest smile on your face.” She always wanted to be like Wendy Williams because she loves gossip, facts and getting the latest scoop. A fun fact about Patricia is that she makes music and was on a reality TV show. She loves to write and the Express is a great place for her. Patricia’s word of inspiration is resilience. She is resilient after surviving a hard time with her mental health. She is determined to change and come back better than ever. She has the sparkle back in her eyes and she walks with her head held high. She is ready to take back her life and finish school. She finished last semester with a 4.0 GPA, which increased her confidence. Doing well in school means a lot to her, and she can’t wait to graduate.

Dylan Nester, Editor-in-chief

Dylan Nester is the editor-in-chief and sports editor for the Express. This is his fourth semester as a photographer for the Express. His favorite genres of photography are sports, wildlife and live events, such as concerts. He started photography four years ago when he was looking for fun elective classes and ended up taking the beginning digital photography course. He fell in love with it after his mother lent him her Canon Rebel T3 for the class. His passion for sports photography comes from a background in playing baseball and many other sports since he was young. After high school, he knew he wanted to still be involved in sports. He started taking his camera to local baseball games, or any community event he attended and knew instantly that he wanted to pursue a photography career. His concert photography passion comes from his first rock concert Joyce Manor, where he saw a photographer taking pictures. He thought it was cool and that he wanted to try it, as it combines his passion for music and his camera. After finishing up his first degree in the fall, Dylan wants to transfer to Sacramento State to continue his photography degree and photojournalism interest. His dream job is to work in Major League Baseball as a content creator, with a focus on photography, or work for a big journalism outlet and travel the world.