Bay Area Council pushes for CHP deployment to reduce BART crimes

OAKLAND, Calif. - After recent attacks on or near BART trains, there are calls to get crimes under control with a renewed effort to deploy highway patrol officers, even though BART leaders say they have a handle on it.

It's unlikely the California Highway Patrol would get involved with BART, but the Bay Area Council and other AAPI organizers are impressed with the CHP's deployment in Oakland, where hundreds of arrests have been made.

These groups are worried that crime on BART trains is becoming violent and vicious, and they cite recent attacks, which include one earlier this month, where a man allegedly slashed a woman's throat at 24th and Mission streets.

There was another attack in July, where police say a man pushed a woman onto an incoming train at the Powell Station in San Francisco.

Most recently, police reported a deadly stabbing on Market Street near Embarcadero station, even though the stabbing did not occur at BART.

"We need to take strong, decisive and immediate action that violent and other crime will not be tolerated on BART, particularly crime targeting Asian Americans, women, seniors and other vulnerable communities," Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, said in a statement. "There must be zero tolerance for crime on BART. We know large numbers of riders are staying away from BART largely because of deep concerns about the lack of safety and security they feel on trains and in stations. With bold and immediate action, Gov. Newsom can help restore public confidence in the BART system and help bring back riders."

BART spokesman Jim Allison responded to these calls by saying it would welcome help from the CHP, and they suggested the Bay Area Council try to help recruit more police officers.

But BART leaders also argued that crime is down 12% and violent crime is down 6% from last year. 

Ridership is also up.

BART board director Robert Raburn, who represents parts of Oakland and the East Bay, acknowledges the severity of the violent headlines but urges BART is doing everything it can to maintain safety.  

"We're doing a good job in protecting our passengers," said Raburn.

Some BART riders told KTVU their own recent stories of what they've witnessed on BART trains.

"I'm not going to say late at night, there's not an issue. I'd love to have additional officers during our late night service but during the daytime hours, I think you can find lots of solace and strength in numbers onboard BART trains," one rider said.

"One night, someone spit in my face because I was trying to dislodge his confrontation with another senior fellow," said Ed Halloway from Walnut Creek.

"You have drug addicts smoking marijuana on BART, cigarettes, drinking liquor, it's just crazy," said Robin Johnson of San Leandro.

Wunderman, however, says BART "obviously" has a crime problem and should be asking for help.

"I think it somehow goes against their nature to get serious about this problem," Wunderman said.

"It only gets serious when the pressure is on, so okay, we're going to bring as much pressure as we can because it's not okay for people to feel unsafe or be unsafe. We're talking about real crimes being committed here."

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office responded to this plea as well, saying the state sent BART hundreds of millions of dollars for support and to fight crime.

However, Newsom's office said BART is governed by its own board of directors and protected by its own police department, which is not the state's responsibility.