BART Police to increase patrols and offer safety escorts

In an effort to better protect our passengers during the busy holiday travel and shopping season, BART Police is adding more patrols to downtown San Francisco stations. On the other side of the bay, BART Police will partner with the Oakland Police Department tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 13, to provide officer escorts for riders parked at West Oakland Station.

“Passengers will see more uniformed officers patrolling busy downtown San Francisco stations and our trains during the next few weeks,” said Era Jenkins, spokeswoman for BART Police. “The holidays can be a distracting time; we want to remind our passengers to always remain alert and aware of their belongings and surroundings.”

Officer Escorts for West Oakland Station

BART and the Oakland Police Departments (OPD) will once again partner up to provide an extra layer of safety for West Oakland customers on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. City of Oakland community volunteers (who will don red vests identifying them as “Pedestrian Escorts”), OPD Cadets, Problem Solving Officers, Police Service Technicians, BART Police and Community Service Officers will be available to escort BART customers who park either in the BART lot or within a three block radius of the West Oakland Station. There will also be two designated patrol vehicles to provide rides to those who do not want to walk in the dark.

This event highlights the collaborative work between the community, OPD and BART PD with the shared goal of keeping our communities safe. Officers will give out materials with safety travel tips to help empower passengers to better protect themselves while travelling the BART system and within their community.