A new study claims changes made by BART to address fare evasion and security are not making the system any better and questions if law enforcement is the right solution.
“There are many things the BART system can do starting with cleanliness, starting with more ambassadors, starting with more efforts to engage people without a punitive response,” said Hans Menos, who leads the Center for Police and Equity -- the group responsible for the 90-page report.
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WATCH HEREThe study was done in partnership with BART and several other organizations.
Using BART’s own data, the findings show the majority of arrests on the system weren’t for fare evasion at all, but for warrants and substance abuse.
“People aren’t necessarily experiencing violent crime because of fare evasion which is a connection that BART has made and that is something that didn’t come out in the data,” Menos said.
He added that BART PD frequently encounters around 250 of the same people. The study suggests that instead of investing more money in law enforcement and fare evasion, the system should focus on other solutions.
“Folks that are known to police because perhaps they are mentally ill or addicted, is there a better way then continuing to offer them a punitive response, a police response as opposed to a social service response,” Hans said.
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But BART said the system is making improvements in all areas. They note the system is conducting wellness checks and expanding its ambassadors, crisis intervention specialists and social service partnerships.
BART said leadership needs more time to weigh in on the findings.
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SIGN UP In a statement, the agency said they "have no plans to change current efforts to replace fare gates or enforce their code of conduct, which includes a visible safety presence."
They credit those strategies for a 17% drop in crime last year.
“Right now it is unclear what the strategy is or how these different tools are being used to improve ridership, to improve the experience of a rider or to reduce fare evasion,” Menos said.
