BART picks new police chief

LAFAYETTE, Calif. - BART said its interim police chief will stay on the job permanently.

The agency plans to announce the formal hiring of Kevin Franklin later on Monday.

BART said its greatest commitment is the safety of passengers on its trains, and Franklin, is doing a good job of that.

The chief's spot became vacant in April, when Ed Alvarez retired.

Since Franklin became interim chief, BART said its officers have made more than 300 felony arrests, the highest number since the pandemic., bringing down emergency calls response times to four minutes.

Franklin is a 27-year veteran of the department.