BART: Crime is down, more people riding trains

PLEASANT HILL, Calif. - BART says its investment in safety is paying off: Crime is down, and more people are riding the trains.

To prove it, BART released details of a new report from the chief of police.

Overall crime was down on BART 17% last year and violent crime was down 11%.

"We're still on this trip to make BART safer," Chief Kevin Franklin said. "And so, it is showing through that the work we're doing, the efforts and the strategies we are employing are working." 

BART also said it's serving 2.6 million more riders than the year before. 

 That number is still only a fraction of what BART used to serve pre-pandemic.

But it is welcome news as the agency continues to recover from financial  woes. 

BART leaders worked to hire more police officers and non-sworn staff to help manage trains and create an environment of safety.

They're also trying to install new, taller fare gates to prevent people from hopping the gates without paying for them.

So far, 16 stations are equipped with the gates.

The rest of the system will get those installations by the end of the year.

"We've invested in community ambassadors, we've invested in elevator and bathroom attendants, we've invested in crisis intervention specialists," 'said BART Board Director Edward Wright. "These are trained social workers that can intervene when people are having a behavioral health crisis." 

BART also hired 42 police officers last year, and two  more this week. 
BART said its response times to major emergencies is also improving.

That same report touts BART's response to just under four minutes, which the chief said is the fastest in all of the Bay Area.