BART Arrests Up Amid Police Redeployment Plan, Presence On Trains

BAY AREA, CA — BART officials said early Tuesday that more police presence has led to two of its highest monthly arrest totals since the pandemic began.

BART recorded 258 arrests in March and 266 in April systemwide, according to an announcement from the transit agency early Tuesday.

On March 20, BART doubled the number of sworn officers riding on trains in the core of the system, agency officials said.

"These numbers are proof of the hard work being done by the people of the BART Police Department," Interim BART police Chief Kevin Franklin said in the statement. "Our redeployment strategy is a direct response to the safety concerns of our riders."

Notable Arrests

April 24: BPD officers arrested 43-year-old Charles Harrison on the El Cerrito del Norte Station platform on suspicion of punching a female victim at a fare machine. Harrison was stopped by BPD after he tried to flee with $5 the victim was using to pay her fare. Once the victim identified Harrison a record check revealed he was on parole for assault and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

April 12: The victim of an assault at the Hayward Station bus zone identified 25-year-old David Wheeler as the person who stomped on her head several times. A record check revealed Wheeler had an outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrant.

March 4: Shawn Slaughter, 29, of Oakland was arrested at West Dublin Station in connection with an assault that happened on a train. The victim suffered visible facial injuries. Slaughter was detained in the parking structure of the station after he resisted officers.

Redeployment Plan

BART PD's redeployment plan removed seven traditional vehicle patrols per shift and moved those officers to train patrols. Officers who were on special assignments such as K9 units also joined train patrols. Those moves resulted in an additional 8 to 18 officers patrolling trains per shift.

Non-sworn personnel has also boosted BPD’s visible safety presence in the system. According to BART police, in the first four weeks of its redeployment plan, CISs (Crime Intervention Specialists) responded to 277 calls for service, freeing up sworn officers to respond to other incidents. CISs also completed an additional 1,998 self-initiated contacts with individuals in need of services.

"Our riders have told us loud and clear they want to see more BPD presence on trains and in stations," said BART Board President Janice Li. "That means more officers as well as unarmed Crisis Intervention Specialists and Transit Ambassadors. Even non-BPD staff like Elevator Attendants are helping to make BART feel safer by being highly visible in the system. I applaud BPD for being responsive to riders and hope that maximizing the visible safety presence, especially in the core of our system will encourage more people to come back to BART."

Hiring Bonus Offered

To further increase its visible safety presence, BART PD is working to recruit more officers. The department is offering a $15,000 hiring bonus to academy recruits as well as lateral hires. The department has 31 officer vacancies, all of which are fully funded by the BART Board.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.