One week after a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge ruled random fare enforcement sweeps on TriMet were unconstitutional, transit police officers are still participating in those same missions.

That's according to the top police commander leading the transit police unit.

Last Friday, Judge John Wittmayer ruled the March arrest and citation involving Ana del Rocio violated Oregon's constitution. The ruling seemed to throw into question the transit agency's fare missions where all - or most - passengers are approached as they exit light rail trains and asked for proof of fare.

Wittmayer's ruling prompted a letter from 13 Democratic legislators urging the Attorney General to intervene. It's still unclear whether the state will appeal the decision.

Read: The judge's ruling on fare enforcement

But Transit Police Commander Mike Frome said Friday that his officers have and will continue to go along on those fare missions.

"Until we are absolutely told that we cannot engage in fare inspections one way or another," he said, "we're going to keep doing them."

TriMet and transit police say the vast majority of fare infractions are issued by the public transit agency's fare supervisors. On Wednesday, TriMet leaders said the agency was tweaking its fare enforcement activities in response to the judge's ruling but declined to offer specifics.

Frome said his officers lend "an air of officialness" to the missions, and they are there to step in if TriMet's supervisors are threatened. "Sometimes people are less than friendly," he said. Supervisors have been assaulted previously.

He said transit officers are typically only participating in the missions once or twice a week.

Officers' primary role on transit is to respond to criminal behavior. Frome said transit police, when riding the train, can ask for proof of fare when responding to other calls. "Technically, that's a fare inspection," he said.

Frome's transit unit includes officers from Portland Police Bureau and other metro area law enforcement agencies.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen