Implementing Project SCOPE: Analyzing Organizational Adaptation and Co-Response in Transit Policing

• In Event: The Future of Transit-Based Crisis Response: Insights from Project SCOPE’s Implementation and Impact

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, American urban transit systems saw a sharp decline in paid ridership while simultaneously becoming primary refuge centers for individuals experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises. This shift created significant challenges for transit police departments, requiring officers to navigate the intersection of public safety and public health. In response, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) implemented Project SCOPE, deploying outreach workers to transit stations to connect vulnerable individuals with social services as a strategy to limit direct police engagement.
While SEPTA did not explicitly frame SCOPE within the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) model, its outreach teams operate in ways that align with FACT principles—functioning independently from police while retaining the ability to request assistance when needed. Using an implementation science framework and a case study approach, this paper examines how SEPTA and its police department adapted their organizational structures to adopt the SCOPE model. We identify barriers and facilitators, highlighting the challenges of coordinating policing and social outreach within a politically and operationally complex transit environment. Findings offer insights into the feasibility of untethered co-response models in public transit, with implications for broader efforts to integrate harm reduction strategies into policing and other initiatives.

Authors

• Matthew Teti, University of Houston-Downtown

• Nili Gesser, Drexel University

• Robert J. Kane, Drexel University

• Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University