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    1. Safety & Security

    BART end-of-the-year police chief’s report shows improved safety and increased ridership

    Feb. 5, 2025
    BART reported its safety and security initiatives supported a 17 percent decrease in overall crime from the previous year, with violent crime down 11 percent over the same period.
    Related To: Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
    BART
    BART reported its safety and security initiatives supported a 17 percent decrease in overall crime from the previous year, with violent crime down 11 percent over the same period.
    BART reported its safety and security initiatives supported a 17 percent decrease in overall crime from the previous year, with violent crime down 11 percent over the same period.

    Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) end-of-the-year report from the BART police chief shows improvements in overall safety and security and ridership for the agency. Last year, the BART Police Department (PD) worked to reduce overall crime in and around BART’s transit spaces by boosting its visible presence in the system. The agency says this initiative supported a 17 percent decrease in overall crime from the previous year, with violent crime down 11 percent over that same period. The report also shows an improvement in trips provided with 2.6 million more trips carried out in 2024 than in 2023. 

    Additional highlights from the latest report include: 

    • The total number of property crimes on BART fell by 536 incidents compared with 2023.
    • There were 229 fewer auto thefts, a 34 percent drop.
    • BART PD’s response time to Tier 1 emergencies in December was three minutes and 56 seconds, the fastest for any law enforcement agency in the Bay Area, according to BART. 

    BART says its police department is using both sworn officers as well as non-sworn, unarmed crisis intervention specialists, transit ambassadors, fare inspectors and community service officers to maximize its visible presence in the system.

    The agency supported this increase in personnel with the installation of next generation fare gates, which are already in place at 16 stations across the system. The taller and more resilient gates are improving the station environment and deterring fare evasion. BART plans to install new gates at all 50 of its stations by the end of this year. 

    The agency says 2024 was also BART PD’s strongest recruitment year since the pandemic. The officer vacancy total has fallen to 16 and the department is continuing its aggressive recruitment campaign by highlighting its $15,000 hiring bonus for officers and dispatchers as well as the unique career opportunities BART PD can offer. 

    BART