UNIFORMED OFFICERS' FREE RIDE ON METROLINK LINES MAY END.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

For law enforcement officers, the free ride on Metrolink commuter trains may be coming to an end.

Since service began four years ago, Metrolink has allowed uniformed officers to ride the rails for free. The policy was intended as a cheap way to enhance the security presence on trains.

In the beginning a few officers took the train to work. But now, as many as 400 officers a day are riding free - and some of the paying passengers are grumbling.

``There has been internal discussion about possibly changing the policy,'' said Charlene Ariza, a spokeswoman for the Southern California Regional Rail Authority. ``We've had some complaints from passengers who say, `Why are these officers getting to ride for free?' It's a legitimate concern.''

For regular commuters, a monthly pass on the Metrolink from Lancaster to downtown Los Angeles is $208. The monthly pass for the Oxnard line is $240, while regular passengers traveling from Oceanside must pay $272 for a monthly pass.

Ariza said the staff review of the policy has not been completed and any decision to end the free-ride program would have to be made by the rail system's 11-member board of directors.

However, the Los Angeles Police Protective League put out a notice Friday indicating it thinks the change is likely.

``Metrolink has indicated their intention to discontinue the practice of allowing complimentary rides to officers in `raid' jackets or in uniforms,'' said the statement put out by the police union.

The number of officers taking advantage of the policy has also caught the attention of Los Angeles Police Department officials, who have begun their own review because of concerns that it might violate department policy for officers to accept free rides, said LAPD Cmdr. Tim McBride.

``The department has some concern with that,'' McBride said. ``Is that a gratuity? If it's a gratuity, it's improper for officers to accept. The department is taking a look at that.''

At Union Station on Friday afternoon, law enforcement officers and passengers who were interviewed said the free-ride policy should continue.

``I do feel more secure,'' said Mary Perkins, who counted eight uniformed officers in just her one car, which was one of eight cars on the Oceanside train. ``It's not going to break the system if they ride free.''

Allen Moore, waiting for the San Bernardino train, agreed.

``I don't have a problem with it. I like having extra security,'' he said.

Officers boarding trains for the ride home said they would be disappointed if the policy was changed.

``I think it's fair the way it is,'' said sheriff's Deputy Joe Emmert, who commutes home on the Lancaster train.

Emmert, who was accompanied by two other deputies, noted that as long as he is wearing his uniform on the train he is on duty and available to respond to any problem.

``The passengers I talk to feel safe having us on the train,'' he said.

The Metrolink system pays the county Sheriff's Department about $2.4 million annually to have regular police service on the train.

It's no secret that most LAPD officers live outside the city, chiefly in the suburbs that the Metrolink system was built to serve.

A report by the American Civil Liberties Union in 1994 found that 83 percent of LAPD officers live outside Los Angeles.

When the Metrolink system opened in 1992 with only three lines and 12 stations, there were only 800 riders a day, and the free-ride policy for law enforcement officers was seen as a way to supplement the paid security provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Ariza said.

``It was another means to provide assistance to our conductors in the event of an emergency or a crisis,'' said Ariza. ``It wasn't widely utilized.''

But the Metrolink system has grown now to 45 stations, with 22,000 passengers riding the 87 trains daily.

Word has spread in the law enforcement community about the free-ride policy and the number of officers taking the train to work has grown correspondingly.

The practice took off after the Northridge Earthquake caused major damage to some freeways, McBride said, adding that the Metrolink train became the only way some officers in outlying areas could get to work.

Police officers and sheriff's deputies are riding the train to work from all over the system, which serves outlying areas including Lancaster, Oxnard, Oceanside, Riverside and San Bernardino, Ariza said.

Complicating matters are those officers who ride to work not in full uniform, but wearing their ``raid'' jackets - those dark-blue windbreakers with the name of their agency in bold letters on the back, for quick identification in a raid.

Conductors who come across such officers ask for identification and usually allow the officers to ride for free, but the issue has concerned some passengers who have to pay full fare, Ariza said.

``It is a difficult policy to maintain. What is a uniform?'' Ariza said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates buses and light rail in Los Angeles County, has no plans to change its policy providing free rides to uniformed officers, said MTA spokesman Ed Scannell.

``MTA really encourages police officers to ride our system because it increases security,'' he said.