Capital Metro launched its first transit police department on June 16, finishing a proposed shift in how the Central Texas transit agency approaches public safety across its network of 2,500 bus stops. 

The CapMetro Transit Police Department launch completes a public safety initiative first approved by the CapMetro Board of Directors in 2021, adding to the agency’s public safety ambassadors and community intervention specialists, which focused on customer service and mental health-related incidents. The agency first created the public safety program after receiving feedback from the community asking for a more “robust and visible” security presence on the transit system, Blythe Nebeker, a CapMetro communications and public information officer, wrote in an email. 

After the department was certified by the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement in 2024, it hired 12 officers in Spring 2025. The new unit will work alongside existing CapMetro safety personnel, responding specifically to “instances where law enforcement is truly needed,” Nebeker wrote.  

“Customers can expect to see our Transit Police Officers strategically positioned throughout the system — patrolling Park & Rides, stops and stations, high-traffic areas and at times riding onboard our services,” Nebeker wrote. 

Peter Stuckmann, a business sophomore and advocate with Transit Forward, an organization that promotes public transportation, said he hears safety concerns echoed by students while working. He said that although he personally does not feel unsafe, one of his friends was harassed on a CapMetro bus on her way back from work. 

“While she was approaching her stop, a guy got up and started touching her hair,” Stuckmann said. “Those are the types of things I think this police force would help mitigate, people being touched, or just generally feeling uncomfortable on the bus.” 

In a blog post, CapMetro CEO and President Dottie Watkins wrote that the new department would make a significant difference in the transit system’s security, and she hopes to see the transit police department expand. 

“Welcoming this team of new Transit Police officers has been a highly anticipated day for our agency,” Watkins wrote. “We’ve built this department thoughtfully and deliberately, and I am deeply grateful for this team who are ready to serve and keep our staff and our customers safe.”