Coffee and Donuts with LASD Deputies at AVTA Transportation Centers

Lancaster – Early morning commuters and bus passengers at the Palmdale Transportation Center and the Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park Transportation Center will be greeted next week with coffee, donuts, masks, and information on transportation safety, all courtesy of the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, the Cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, and the Lancaster and Palmdale Sheriff’s stations as part of the new Transit Oriented Public Safety Program.

Representatives from the agencies will be in Lancaster on Monday, Aug. 17, from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and in Palmdale on Thursday morning, Aug. 20, from 5 to 9 a.m.

The Transit Oriented Public Safety program is a partnership with the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster to contract for Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department services at the Palmdale Transportation Center and the Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park to encourage social distancing and wearing masks to help provide a safe environment for passengers.

“AVTA is pleased with the positive reception our local Sheriff’s deputies and city staff have received during these outreach events,” stated AVTA Board Chairman Marvin Crist. “We are also pleased that our bus operators and riders have had these opportunities to engage with the local law enforcement officers, promoting good communication and a better understanding of expectations for safe behavior.”

Under the agreement establishing the program, each city provides public safety field staff and dedicates hours under its current contract with the Sheriff’s Department to assign personnel to the effort. 

To date, more than 3,500 face masks have been provided to riders by AVTA as part of its efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19 through the community.

AVTA provides local, commuter and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County. Its total service area covers 1,200 square miles and it is bounded by the Kern County line to the north, the San Bernardino County line to the east, the Angeles National Forest to the south, and Interstate 5 to the West.