Crime and safety on Metro light rail are growing concerns.
New statistics from the Phoenix Police Department show emergency calls at light rail stations on 19th Avenue are up as much as 73 percent from 2014 to 2016.
Those numbers come after the Phoenix City Council approved an additional $600,000 outlay for more police and security along its portion of the rail line.
Valley Metro — which operates the 26-mile system in Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix — is undertaking a number of steps to improve security…