Swansea

Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the Metro East city took action to curb what police and officials view as a worsening problem.

The Belleville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh and Swansea police departments will allow off-duty officers to patrol up to 30 hours per week.

The families of shooting victims criticized MetroLink security in 2019 and again in 2023 because no police were patrolling the Metro East stations at the time the crimes occurred.

The 1.7-mile pathway will extend from Illinois Route 161 to Sullivan Drive in Belleville to Frank Scott-Parkway in Fairview Heights.

The Metro East village of nearly 15,000 has grown much more diverse in the past decade, with nonwhite residents now accounting for 35% of the population.