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Metro will soon be able to bar people arrested for assaults and sex-related offenses on its property, with repeat cases potentially resulting in bans lasting a full year.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors voted 8-0 Thursday to approve the policy. It is scheduled to take effect June 2, or later if more time is needed to complete administrative preparations.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said board member Don Drummer, a Maryland representative who chairs the safety committee.
The policy covers sex crimes such as indecent exposure and lewd conduct, assaults against Metro employees or contractors, and assaults against passengers.
A first offense could bring a 45-day ban, followed by 90 days for a second offense and one year for a third. Anyone who enters Metro property while prohibited could face an additional trespassing charge.
Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Anzallo told board members the policy is primarily aimed at repeat and violent offenders. He said roughly 40 people are believed to account for a significant part of the problem involving assaults or lewd behavior, and nearly all are adults.
Metro pursued a similar proposal involving arrests for sex and gun-related crimes in 2021 but ultimately abandoned that effort.
Officials developed the new rules after reviewing policies at major transit agencies in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta and the San Francisco Bay Area. Four of the six systems have formal policies permitting bans for conduct violations.
Metro recorded 76 sex-related crimes and 227 assaults against employees across the system in 2024.
Board member Tracy Hadden Loh, a D.C. representative and a leading supporter of the policy, said the number of staff assaults was startling.
“It’s a shocking number,” she said.
Kamilah Martin-Proctor, a federal government representative appointed during the Biden administration, supported the change but asked for assurances that employees would receive appropriate training. She also called for safeguards to ensure that people’s civil rights remain protected.
Recipients will have five calendar days to appeal a citation through a written request mailed or delivered to WMATA. Staff said an independent legal expert will oversee the appeals process.
Until the new policy takes effect, Metro’s current regulations allow bans of no more than 24 hours for code-of-conduct violations.
Chief Operating Officer Brian Dwyer described the policy as another part of Metro’s broader effort to improve security on trains and buses. Other measures have included additional police patrols and surveillance, body-worn cameras, courtesy stops for bus passengers and taller fare gates intended to curb fare evasion.
“Crime in the system is at a seven-year low,” Dwyer said.
Virginia and the District of Columbia have also strengthened penalties for assaults against public transit workers. Maryland lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban people who assault transit employees or passengers and require the Maryland Transit Administration to form a workgroup with WMATA and other participants. That group would develop a rider code of conduct and an internal safety program offering stronger protections for workers and passengers.