Crime on the Gold Line as it travels through Pasadena has fallen by 23.63% over the past five years, but that hasn’t helped quell concerns about safety, cleanliness and homelessness on the transit line.

At officials’ request, Aston Greene, interim chief of system security and law enforcement for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, delivered an hourlong presentation to the City Council on Monday, divulging the agency’s strategies and fielding questions from Pasadena’s leaders.

He explained Metro’s push for more law enforcement and training: the creation of a “multilayered” approach to policing with private security guards, Sheriff’s deputies, local law enforcement and a whole lot of security cameras. He credited these changes with lowered crime rates.

But officials still had pressing concerns.

Councilwoman Margaret McAustin raised issues with the Allen Avenue station, describing it as “a little sketchy” and saying her constituents complain about intimidating homeless individuals. She attributed it to the station’s location under the freeway, which makes it harder to properly illuminate both during the day and at night.

Making matters worse, when the city wanted to increase the artificial lighting, she said, it ran into jurisdictional issues: Exactly which agency can change the lights?

Greene responded, saying Metro had made improvements to the site last April, and it is now a matter of lingering reputation.

“I’m anticipating, over a period of time since we’ve made those improvements, that perception will change,” he said.

Whatever the tweaks, they weren’t enough for McAustin: “There has to be a little bit more done to make that station what I think Metro wants it to be and what it should be,” she said. “It’s a direct access to (Pasadena City College). … Thousands of students use it all the time.”

She asked whom people should call when they run into issues, to which Greene responded: 311 if it’s a cleanliness issue, 911 if it’s a real emergency.

When Councilman Gene Masuda questioned the thoroughness of the organization’s security efforts, Greene responded that if someone does dial 911 on the train or platform, an officer should arrive onsite within five minutes.

Passengers won’t see officers on every single train, Greene said, but someone is watching, whether via security cameras or rider reports, he said.

Metro contracts with private security officers who are not only the first line of defense against crime but cleanliness issues too. Still, Councilman Victor Gordo said he gets a lot of complaints about dirty train cars.

Gordo suggested a joint effort between the city and Metro in the near future to address sanitation. He directed city staff to work with Metro on the problem.

Underlying many of the problems is the Gold Line’s “honor system” for fares, Councilman Steve Madison said. Unlike other lines, some stops on the Gold Line in Pasadena lack a turnstile and fare collection.

He suggested instituting those controls, saying: “That may not solve all the problems we’re talking about, but it could mitigate them.”

Greene responded, saying fare evasion was a challenge for most of the country’s transit systems.

“We continue to creatively find ways to address it without becoming overly aggressive in our enforcement of fares,” he said. “We are continuously exploring ways where technology in the future can help with that.”

Madison countered: “I’m not sure you need to be all that creative,” urging the Metro official to simply add turnstiles and fare collection to help provide some increased level of accountability.

“We appreciate your presentation, but we’re not feeling comfortable with the Gold Line in Pasadena,” Mayor Terry Tornek said, closing the dialogue. “It’s vital to the city’s success, … but we just have to tell you that there are real concerns here.”