On Monday, June 16, 2025 SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson swore in thirteen (13) new police officers joining the department.
The officers graduated from the Municipal Police Academy at Delaware County Community College on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
From the testing process through the six-month police academy—they have worked hard and we are thrilled to have them here at SEPTA.
We continue to hire record numbers of new police officers. In fact we are expecting another nine (9) recruits to start police academy next month. This is a result of an intensive focus on recruitment and retention of officers which has helped us to bolster staffing and implement innovative patrol and enforcement strategies.
SEPTA remains laser-focused on improving safety and security on the system despite the funding crisis. and the results are clear. Crime in most categories held steady during the first quarter of 2025 following the largest one-year drop in serious incidents ever recorded by Transit Police.
Transit Police are conducting Fare Evasion Enforcement Blitzes across the system with the goal of stopping fare evasion before it happens. These increased enforcement efforts are leading to more citations and more fare sales.
Customer satisfaction is going up as a result of enhanced reliability, safety, and cleanliness – customer satisfaction is going up. SEPTA Transit Police play a critical role in that success.
Following the badge-pinning ceremony—the officers immediately began patrolling the system!