Employees

Educate, Equip, Empower: LTD’s Approach to Community Safety

January 29, 2026

The Pulse of the Streets

A woman wearing a safety vest smiles while sitting in the front seat of a car, with a man in the driver's seat next to her. — LTD Community Resource Liaison Sarah Koski rides along with Public Safety Supervisor Hughes in an emergency response vehicle.

LTD Community Resource Liaison Sarah Koski listens to the pulse of the street and observes firsthand what’s going on in the community. Throughout 2025, she focused on outreach in the Eugene and Springfield metro area, building partnerships alongside city and county staff, service providers, and peer support specialists.

She rides the bus, walks the streets, and spends time at LTD’s stations to talk with the most vulnerable members of our community. Through compassionate listening, she meets people where they’re at, both literally and figuratively.

“We look for gaps in the system,” said Koski. “If we can’t fill that gap with LTD’s existing services, we build partnerships.”

Safe Place Partnership

One of LTD’s strongest community partnerships is with Looking Glass Community Services . Looking Glass is the area coordinator for Safe Place , a national network of locations where youth in crisis can find immediate help and safety. They partner regularly with both Sarah and LTD’s operations team to make our busses safe access points for youth.

Four adults stand outside Looking Glass Community Services, holding a yellow "Safe Place" sign and posing for a group photo. — From left to right: LTD Public Safety Supervisor Hughes, Community Resource Liaison Sarah Koski, Public Safety Supervisor Cain, and Looking Glass Community Services Safe Place Liaison Scot Chaney.

Every one of our 112 buses and major stations are designated Safe Places. For a young person navigating a crisis or feeling unsafe in their surroundings, an LTD bus is often the closest and most reliable place to turn. LTD frontline staff, including bus operators and public safety officers, are trained to respond quickly and compassionately when youth ask for assistance.

Alongside fire stations, Dari Marts, McDonald’s restaurants, schools, and more, LTD is proud to partner with Looking Glass to help keep youth safe.

In 2026, Koski, representatives from local Safe Place locations, and Looking Glass will gather quarterly to share resources, strengthen relationships, and complete practice exercises to be better equipped to respond to real-life situations. By going beyond training and best practices, these meetings are opportunities to open conversations and get to know the humans working behind the scenes.

“We value the importance of human connection and want to know the individuals behind the handoff,” said Koski. “In doing so, we know this youth is going to have the resources they need to be equipped and get out of a bad situation. Regular meetings and organizational partnerships are also important in order to bring like-minded advocates together. It’s important to know the face behind the name.”

Safety for Everybody

In addition to empowering and protecting youth with the Safe Place program, LTD also looks out for the rest of the community. Whether it’s offering life-saving first-aid to someone near a station, a bus operator bringing a lost toddler to safety on a cold morning, or providing free rides to Egan Warming Centers in freezing temperatures, LTD is a safe and constant presence.

Eugene Station is at the corner of 11^th & Willamette, giving LTD a strong presence at the center of Downtown Eugene. With well-lit walkways, an active public safety presence, and a constant flow of people and buses, LTD’s stations are safe spaces for youth and adults.

Covered walkway at a transportation terminal with a clock overhead, information signs, and people standing or walking along the path. — LTD’s Eugene Station Modernization project wrapped up in January 2025, bringing energy-efficient lighting throughout the station, renovated restrooms, and customer-centric upgrades to the interior of the Customer Service Center.

Shining a Light on Prevention

A man in a dress shirt and tie sits at an office desk, signing a printed document with a pen. A computer keyboard, monitor, and office supplies are visible on the desk. — LTD CEO Jameson T. Auten signs the Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking Pledge on November 18, 2024.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. This public safety issue is a dark topic that thrives in secrecy. It’s important to talk about it so we can educate, equip, and empower ourselves to prevent it.

Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.

Public transit plays an important role in both the prevention of trafficking and a pathway to escape and recovery.

LTD trains all new public safety officers and bus operators to recognize warning signs, respond appropriately, and connect individuals to support.

For people seeking to exit trafficking or stabilize after crisis, public transportation is a key part of recovery, providing reliable access to services, employment, education, and community support that restores independence and safety.

By bringing public awareness to the issue, training staff, developing community partnerships, and being a consistent, reliable presence driving through the community, we can help people escape, recover, or prevent human trafficking altogether.

This commitment was formally reinforced on November 18, 2024, when CEO Jameson T. Auten signed the Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking pledge, joining hundreds of transportation agencies and national partners in strengthening awareness, reporting, and survivor-centered response.