Photo by Corey Agopian on Unsplash

BART announced Monday new safety measures in response to recent violent attacks taking place in their stations.

BART has already been under higher alert since April after a triple-stabbing at Coliseum Station that left a brother and sister with serious injuries. Two more people were stabbed at MacArthur Station and another college student was assaulted at Richmond Station.

It was the recent murder of 18-year-old Nia Wilson that sent the community into high alert. “Nia’s murder just decimated public perception,” Dufty said. “Only one thing will alleviate riders’ fears: seeing more people in uniform on BART.”

Over the next 3 weeks, BART is working on a $28 million comprehensive safety and security plan to increase police patrols on trains and inside stations. The agency is also working to boost security training for employees, test security alarms and sensors, install new emergency call boxes on train platforms and upgrade its surveillance camera network with new digital cameras and new video screens.

BART has struggled for years to increase ridership and fill an understaffed police force so, in addition to the immediate changes being made, the BART Police Department has contracted with the University of North Texas to develop a five-year strategic plan for appropriate police staffing levels for the BART system.

Some of these changes can be made by the General Manager, but others require Board action for procurement or adoption. “BART has always been focused on public safety but it’s clear that we must do even more,” said BART General Manager Grace Crunican, “Our riders are demanding that we do more to maintain public safety and this plan offers multiple new initiatives we can immediately begin to roll out.”