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Laura Yuen
St. Paul, Minn.

St. Paul police: No uptick in crime along Green Line

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Despite initial concerns, St. Paul police haven't noticed any uptick in crime along the new Green Line light-rail corridor.

As part of city budget discussions, the police department predicted a 2 percent increase in violent crime along the transit corridor, which includes downtown and University Avenue. The department based its estimates on what it said was the crime trend in Minneapolis after the Blue Line was built there.

St. Paul Police Commander John Bandemer said he doesn't believe the new trains attract crime, but they do attract more people.

"At that time, when the budget had to be created, that was an easy assumption to make, that there was going to be an increase in crime because of an increase in citizens in that area," Bandemer said.

But so far, he says, crime along the light-rail corridor appears to have held steady in the month that the trains have opened to passenger service.

Bandemer notes crime is down 10 percent in the Western District and "along that University corridor, I can say that we haven't noticed anything different this last June compared to June of 2013."

Police expect to analyze the numbers in the coming weeks.

Disclosure: Minnesota Public Radio and the Metropolitan Council are negotiating ways to reduce noise and vibrations from the newly built light rail line outside MPR headquarters under a contract agreed to in 2009.