BART Police
Encyclopedia
The BART Police Department is the police
force of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
(BART).
The BART Police Department has more than 296 police personnel, of which 206 are sworn peace officers. BART Police officers derive their powers of arrest from Section 830.33(a) P.C. Although their powers extend throughout the state, like most California peace officers, they have a primary jurisdiction, which in their case is on BART property. They may, however, take enforcement action for crimes in progress, including traffic infractions, away from BART properties.
Chief of Police
Kenton Rainey commands the department which provides all police services including law enforcement, parking, and community relations. To prepare for major emergencies, critical incidents, and tactical responses, the department is part of the San Francisco Bay Area's
mutual aid
pacts and maintains teams for special operations such as tactical response and crisis negotiation.
The BART Police have recently come to national attention on account of the shootings of three BART passengers in separate incidents within the last three years.
s, communications/9-1-1
dispatchers, revenue protection-guards, CAD/RMS administrator, and clerical staff comprise the department’s civilian employees. Most officers are assigned to patrol, with some assigned to special operations teams.
, Concord
, Walnut Creek
, Pittsburg
, El Cerrito
, Dublin
/Pleasanton
, Castro Valley
, San Leandro
, Hayward
, San Francisco, Colma
, and San Bruno
.
es in parking lots and on train platforms that connect directly to the BART police 9-1-1 communications center. The District also utilizes video-surveillance systems in trains, stations, and parking lots.
Specialized assignments include field training officer, K-9
Handler, SWAT
operator, detective, bicycle patrol, personnel and training officer, applicant background investigator, crime analyst
, administrative traffic officer, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force
(JTTF) investigator, and undercover anti-vandalism and special-enforcement teams.
During BART’s first 13 years of revenue service, police officers reported to the transit district’s headquarters in Oakland. In 1985, a team of officers was assigned to report to the Concord transportation facility, where a police field office was established. By not having to travel the 20 miles between Oakland and Concord, the officers were able to patrol their beats longer and become more familiar with the community. BART riders, station agents, and train operators benefited from having more police presence and interaction with the same officers. This led to three additional field offices within six months.
In July 1993, then-police chief Harold Taylor recommended a comprehensive plan to decentralize the department into four geographical police zones, each with its own headquarters and field offices. Zone commanders would be given personnel, equipment, and resources to manage their respective police operations. A peer-review panel, which included four police chiefs and the safety-audit administrator from the American Public Transportation Association, gave Chief Taylor’s plan its endorsement, along with other recommendations on how the BART police could work more closely with other transit employees, communities, businesses, and schools that the transit district serves.
Today, there are BART police facilities and field offices in Oakland
, Concord
, Walnut Creek
, Pittsburg
/Bay Point
, El Cerrito
, Dublin
/Pleasanton
, Castro Valley
, San Leandro, Hayward
, San Francisco, Colma
, and San Bruno
. Police command-level officers provide input to planners for BART’s future extensions to Warm Springs and Santa Clara County.
Eyewitnesses
gathered direct evidence
of the shooting with video cameras which were later submitted to, and disseminated by media outlets and watched hundreds of thousands of times in the days following the shooting, peaceful and violent demonstrations occurred.
Mehserle was arrested and charged with murder, to which he pled not guilty. He was convicted of involuntarily manslaughter on July 8, 2010. On November 5, 2010 Mehserle was sentenced to two years, minus time served. He served his time in the Los Angeles County Jail, occupying a private cell away from other prisoners. He was released on June 13, 2011 and is now on parole.
Oakland civil rights
attorney John Burris
filed a US$25 million wrongful death civil lawsuit against the District
on behalf of Grant's daughter and girlfriend.
called the decision "in effect an effort by a governmental entity to silence its critics."
Initially, numerous media outlets quoted BART officials making the claim that the planned protest was a threat to public safety, but did not offer any analysis of the claim's merit. . BART released a statement on August 20th, 2011 saying that a protest on July 11th in Civic Center Station had led to safety concerns for passengers and protesters inside the cramped quarters of the station. "During that protest, one person climbed on top of a train and many other individuals blocked train doorways and held train doors open. During the course of the event, which occurred during the peak of rush hour, individuals used BART trains to move between stations, and caused the shutdown or partial shutdown of other stations." This led BART to action, disabling cell phone service in the tunnels on one day and closing stations that were the targets of protests on subsequent days.
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
(BART).
The BART Police Department has more than 296 police personnel, of which 206 are sworn peace officers. BART Police officers derive their powers of arrest from Section 830.33(a) P.C. Although their powers extend throughout the state, like most California peace officers, they have a primary jurisdiction, which in their case is on BART property. They may, however, take enforcement action for crimes in progress, including traffic infractions, away from BART properties.
Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
Kenton Rainey commands the department which provides all police services including law enforcement, parking, and community relations. To prepare for major emergencies, critical incidents, and tactical responses, the department is part of the San Francisco Bay Area's
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
mutual aid
Mutual aid (emergency services)
In emergency services, mutual aid is an agreement among emergency responders to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. This may occur due to an emergency response that exceeds local resources, such as a disaster or a multiple-alarm fire. Mutual aid may be ad hoc, requested only when...
pacts and maintains teams for special operations such as tactical response and crisis negotiation.
The BART Police have recently come to national attention on account of the shootings of three BART passengers in separate incidents within the last three years.
Organization
Sworn peace officers, Community service officerCommunity Service Officer
A Community Service Officer , provides support in crime prevention, investigation, and response where full police powers are unnecessary and assists police officers in upholding law and order.-History:...
s, communications/9-1-1
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
dispatchers, revenue protection-guards, CAD/RMS administrator, and clerical staff comprise the department’s civilian employees. Most officers are assigned to patrol, with some assigned to special operations teams.
Patrol Bureau
Patrol Bureau is decentralized into four geographical police zones, each with its own headquarters and field offices. Zone lieutenants are assigned the personnel, equipment, and resources to manage their respective police operations. There are BART police facilities and field offices in OaklandOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Concord
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
, Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
, Pittsburg
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....
, El Cerrito
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, Dublin
Dublin, California
Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
/Pleasanton
Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and west of Livermore. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in...
, Castro Valley
Castro Valley, California
Castro Valley is a census-designated place in Alameda County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, it is the fifth most populous unincorporated area in California, and the twenty-third in the United States...
, San Leandro
San Leandro, California
San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...
, Hayward
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
, San Francisco, Colma
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
, and San Bruno
San Bruno, California
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 41,114 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery.-Geography:San Bruno is located at...
.
Support Services Bureau
The Support Services Bureau consists of the following units: Criminal Investigations (Detectives), Personnel and Training, Records, Warrants, Crime Analysis, Traffic Administration, Property and Evidence, and Revenue Protection Guards.Office of the Chief
The Office of the Chief is composed of Internal Affairs and Budget Coordination.Special Services
BART police has placed emergency callboxCallbox
A call box or callbox is a box containing a special-purpose direct line telephone or other telecommunications device, which has been used by various industries and institutions as a way for employees or clients at a remote location to contact a central dispatch office.- Police and taxicab...
es in parking lots and on train platforms that connect directly to the BART police 9-1-1 communications center. The District also utilizes video-surveillance systems in trains, stations, and parking lots.
Specialized assignments include field training officer, K-9
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
Handler, SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
operator, detective, bicycle patrol, personnel and training officer, applicant background investigator, crime analyst
Crime analysis
Crime analysis is a law enforcement function that involves systematic analysis for identifying and analyzing patterns and trends in [crime] and disorder. Information on patterns can help law enforcement agencies deploy resources in a more effective manner, and assist detectives in identifying and...
, administrative traffic officer, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force
Joint Terrorism Task Force
A Joint Terrorism Task Force is a partnership between various U.S. law enforcement agencies that is charged with taking action against terrorism, which includes the investigation of crimes such as wire fraud and identity theft...
(JTTF) investigator, and undercover anti-vandalism and special-enforcement teams.
Mission and focus
Since 9/11, more emphasis has been placed on hardening BART’s infrastructure against the threat of terrorism. The department hosts drills for the region’s first-responders and participates in local, state, and federal counter-terrorism working groups. One officer is assigned full time to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and a command officer is designated as the department’s mutual-aid, counter-terrorism, and homeland-security liaison. All BART police K-9's are certified in explosives detection only. To prepare for major emergencies, critical incidents, and tactical responses, the department is a signatory to the Bay Area's mutual-aid pacts.Department goals
The BART Police Department’s goal is to build a more community-oriented police force that is tough on crime and strong on customer service. Zone commanders and their personnel are forming working partnerships with BART riders, fellow employees, community groups, schools, and business owners. Together, the goal of the stakeholders is to ensure that personal safety, quality of life, and protection of property remain among BART’s top priorities.Qualifications and training
Qualifications and training for BART police officers exceed the guidelines of the California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), which certifies all California peace officers. In addition to meeting POST requirements, every BART police officer applicant must have at least 30 semester (or 45 quarter) credits of college course work from an accredited college or university. At least one half of the credits must be obtained in analytical subjects requiring written reports or examinations. Most officers are assigned to the Patrol Bureau and are eligible for specialized assignments.History
In 1969, three years before BART opened for revenue service, the transit district’s board of directors recommended that local police and sheriff’s departments patrol the stations, trains, rights-of-way, and other BART-owned properties that were within their respective jurisdictions. The police chiefs and sheriffs, forecasting that BART’s proposal would create jurisdictional disputes and inconsistent levels of police service, rejected the board’s proposal. As a result, legislation was passed to form an autonomous law enforcement agency, the BART Police Department.During BART’s first 13 years of revenue service, police officers reported to the transit district’s headquarters in Oakland. In 1985, a team of officers was assigned to report to the Concord transportation facility, where a police field office was established. By not having to travel the 20 miles between Oakland and Concord, the officers were able to patrol their beats longer and become more familiar with the community. BART riders, station agents, and train operators benefited from having more police presence and interaction with the same officers. This led to three additional field offices within six months.
In July 1993, then-police chief Harold Taylor recommended a comprehensive plan to decentralize the department into four geographical police zones, each with its own headquarters and field offices. Zone commanders would be given personnel, equipment, and resources to manage their respective police operations. A peer-review panel, which included four police chiefs and the safety-audit administrator from the American Public Transportation Association, gave Chief Taylor’s plan its endorsement, along with other recommendations on how the BART police could work more closely with other transit employees, communities, businesses, and schools that the transit district serves.
Today, there are BART police facilities and field offices in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Concord
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
, Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
, Pittsburg
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....
/Bay Point
Bay Point, California
Bay Point, formerly West Pittsburg, is a suburb and census-designated place located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, just west of the city of Pittsburg and northeast over a low range of hills from Concord...
, El Cerrito
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
, Dublin
Dublin, California
Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
/Pleasanton
Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and west of Livermore. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in...
, Castro Valley
Castro Valley, California
Castro Valley is a census-designated place in Alameda County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, it is the fifth most populous unincorporated area in California, and the twenty-third in the United States...
, San Leandro, Hayward
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
, San Francisco, Colma
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
, and San Bruno
San Bruno, California
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 41,114 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery.-Geography:San Bruno is located at...
. Police command-level officers provide input to planners for BART’s future extensions to Warm Springs and Santa Clara County.
Passengers killed by BART Police
In 1992 an unarmed 19 year old, Jerrold Hall, was shot in the back by a BART Police officer at the Hayward station. On May 28, 2001, a mentally ill man named Bruce Edward Seward was shot and killed by another BART officer at the same station after he was woken up and grabbed the officer's nightstick.Oscar Grant
On January 1, 2009, a BART Police officer, Johannes Mehserle, fatally shot Oscar Grant III.Eyewitnesses
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
gathered direct evidence
Direct evidence
Direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly, i.e., without an intervening inference...
of the shooting with video cameras which were later submitted to, and disseminated by media outlets and watched hundreds of thousands of times in the days following the shooting, peaceful and violent demonstrations occurred.
Mehserle was arrested and charged with murder, to which he pled not guilty. He was convicted of involuntarily manslaughter on July 8, 2010. On November 5, 2010 Mehserle was sentenced to two years, minus time served. He served his time in the Los Angeles County Jail, occupying a private cell away from other prisoners. He was released on June 13, 2011 and is now on parole.
Oakland civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
attorney John Burris
John Burris
John Leonard Burris is an American civil rights attorney, based in Oakland, California, known for his work in police brutality cases representing plaintiffs....
filed a US$25 million wrongful death civil lawsuit against the District
Bay Area Rapid Transit District
The Bay Area Rapid Transit District is a special purpose district body that governs the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in the California counties of Alameda, Contra Costa County, San Francisco...
on behalf of Grant's daughter and girlfriend.
Charles Hill shooting
On July 3, 2011, Charles Blair Hill was shot to death by two BART Police officers at San Francisco's Civic Center / UN Plaza station. BART police have said that Hill was drunk and armed with 2 knives and a broken bottle. Approximately 23 seconds after arriving on scene, the officers fired 3 rounds, striking Hill in the chest. BART police chief Kenton Rainey stated lethal force was appropriate; witnesses reported that a taser was available but not used.Demonstrations against BART Police
The shooting led to a non-violent but disruptive demonstration by approximately 75 protesters inside the Civic Center and 16th St Mission stations on July 11. Demonstrators departing the 16th St Mission station returned downtown on Mission St, blocking traffic and engaging in acts of vandalism en route. One citizen was arrested for intoxication.Cell phone network shutdown
On August 11, BART officials, acting in anticipation of another anti-police protest announced during the evening commute hours, and acting on information that the protest would be coordinated live via Internet and text messages, successfully prevented the demonstration by shutting down the public cell phone network serving their jurisdiction in and between the downtown San Francisco stations. This action immediately garnered public criticism of BART The cell phone shutdown generated even more negative publicity than the Charles Hill's shooting itself. It is the first documented instance of any government agency in the United States shutting down public communications to disrupt a protest. The American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
called the decision "in effect an effort by a governmental entity to silence its critics."
Initially, numerous media outlets quoted BART officials making the claim that the planned protest was a threat to public safety, but did not offer any analysis of the claim's merit. . BART released a statement on August 20th, 2011 saying that a protest on July 11th in Civic Center Station had led to safety concerns for passengers and protesters inside the cramped quarters of the station. "During that protest, one person climbed on top of a train and many other individuals blocked train doorways and held train doors open. During the course of the event, which occurred during the peak of rush hour, individuals used BART trains to move between stations, and caused the shutdown or partial shutdown of other stations." This led BART to action, disabling cell phone service in the tunnels on one day and closing stations that were the targets of protests on subsequent days.
BART Police Department Review Committee
In response to the Grant shooting, BART created an oversight committee to monitor police-related incidents.External links
See also
- New York City Transit PoliceNew York City Transit PoliceThe New York City Transit Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1953 to 1995. The roots of this organization go back to 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the hiring of Special Patrolmen for the New York City Subway system...
- South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service