As the main transportation resource for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Metro Transit offers an integrated network of buses, light rail and commuter trains servicing eight Minnesota Counties. Metro Transit has its own licensed police force that is dispatched by the Transit Control Center (TCC), the same unit that manages bus operations. As transit operations and the size of the police department have grown, the TCC, which is not a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) had struggled to provide dispatch services that met community and police department needs.

Metro Transit engaged DELTAWRX to conduct an assessment of the TCC operations pertaining to staffing, technology and police dispatch services and develop a strategic plan for the establishment of a new organizational entity with the singular mission of providing public safety communications and dispatch services. Interim deliverables included a preliminary report to assist with developing a budget for upgrading the technological infrastructure and procuring the equipment, hardware, and software necessary to establish the new entity as a PSAP and join the regional emergency telephone network. We also provided a Benchmarking Study focusing on organizational structure, staffing, and technology, and a Needs Assessment identifying the business needs of Metro Transit as they apply to police dispatching in light of current operations and expected plans for transit expansion. Metro Transit approved the recommendations in the strategic plan and is moved forward with restructuring the TCC and hiring the personnel to implement the recommendations.