St. Louis Metro Transit welcomes new commander for Bureau of Transit Police

Captain Melissa Webb from the St. Louis County Police Department has been appointed as the new commander of the Bureau of Transit Police, or Joint Task Force, which includes officers from the St. Louis County Police Department, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department who work with the Metro Transit Public Safety team to coordinate patrols on the region’s public transit system.

She hit the ground running in her new role, working with key stakeholders to review procedures, increasing cooperation between her department and the Metro Transit Public Safety team, implementing new training with the St. Louis Metro team and broadening communication efforts between all partners.

Capt. Webb most recently served as the commander of the Affton Southwest Precinct and her experiences with neighborhood policing during that time taught her the importance of community and engaging the people you serve and work with.

“We all understood that we all had to be part of the solution and make our community safe and well-rounded and then I instilled that in my officers,” Capt. Webb said. “It was like you’re not an officer who works here. You’re part of this community. And it would be nice to see that happen here at MetroLink, because we have to look at MetroLink as a community.”

Part of that engagement requires being active on the transit system and Capt. Webb has been interacting with riders at transit centers, visiting community centers and organizing future outreach events. She is out on the system as much as possible to regularly engage with riders and team members.

Positive customer engagement is critical to accomplish one of Capt. Webb’s goals: strengthening confidence in safety and security of the Metro Transit system. She says she wants riders to see and know that officers from the Joint Task Force are here and that together they are all part of one community. And that starts by listening to riders and partners.

“I think that listening to the community is imperative. Because they have a different view. They see things differently,” said Capt. Webb. “And it’s imperative that we sit down, and we have those conversations. Because it’s just going to bring about better change and understanding.”

Capt. Webb joined the St. Louis County Police Department in 1995 and has served in the Bureau of Crimes Against Property, Bureau of Crimes Against Persons, Bureau of Communications, West County Precinct, Affton Southwest Precinct and the South County Precinct.

“I think that my entire 25 years and everything that I’ve experienced has led me to this position. I’m bringing every bit of that experience here to make this the best collaborative effort that we can, to make ridership and safety increase, and to continue to do more community outreach and build that community on the foundation that Mr. Roach and the Metro team has already started.”