BART Police Revamping Approach To Patrolling System
OAKLAND (KCBS) – Bay Area Rapid Transit officials are still stinging from a rash of violent incidents over the last three years and now, the BART Police Department is changing the way it does business.
BART wants its officers to be more familiar with the beats they patrol. So officials have divided four zones into five and divided those even further.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
It's all part of an urban community policing concept applied to a transit system.
BART Deputy Police Chief Ben Fairow said officers will have time to handle special problems in their areas.
"A good example might be a problem with auto burglaries. Not all of our stations have parking lots so it isn't a problem at some stations," said Fairow. "But other places, it can be a problem if there's an environmental issue of some kind. Maybe the parking lot is far away from any visible presence, BART personnel or police."
The concept has been suggested in a special department audit conducted by an outside agency.
That was done after the controversial shooting of Oscar Grant more than three years ago.
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