San Diego : Board to Hire More Guards for Trolley

The Metropolitan Transit Development Board approved the hiring Thursday of five more security guards to monitor trolley stations throughout San Diego, rejecting a more ambitious plan to have sheriff’s deputies patrol the system.

Besides approving a $100,000 allocation for the security guards, the board voted to reassign guards where they are most needed, work more closely with police, add more concession stands to park-and-ride lots to draw more people to the areas and study the installation of emergency phones at trolley stations.

The discussion followed a recent spate of violence involving the trolley system. Administrators have said, however, that overall, most crimes are down from last year.