Bay Area Council and AAPI Leaders Urge Gov. Newsom to Deploy CHP Officers for Enhanced BART Security Due to Crime Surge

In an urgent appeal to the Governor, the Bay Area Council, along with over 100 Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations and leaders, have called for the deployment of California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers on BART to combat a recent surge in violent crimes. This action, they argue, is paramount to restoring user confidence and safety, particularly after an Asian American rider was nearly killed in a slashing attack earlier this month, as reported by the

Bay Area Council

.

According to a 2023 poll cited in the coalition’s letter to Governor Newsom, 78% of AAPI respondents are concerned about becoming crime victims on BART. This troubling statistic underscores the community’s vulnerability; zero percent of AAPI respondents found BART to be very safe, and Bay Area transit systems continue to reel from a post-pandemic downturn, so the need for increased security presence seems all the more critical. Recently, BART officials have stated that they have been working to address safety on their trains, with BART spokesperson Jim Allison suggesting that the Bay Area Council’s involvement could extend to assisting in police recruitment efforts

Yet, despite claims by BART leaders that overall crime has seen a 12% reduction, many riders continue to express disconcertment with safety on the system—instances of unprovoked attacks have made visible the visceral threat riders face daily. In one such attack, “a man allegedly slashed a woman’s throat,” as highlighted in an article on

KTVU

. Furthermore, BART Director Robert Raburn acknowledges the severity of these “violent headlines” but insists that BART is doing everything within its capacity to secure the safety of its patrons.

“We need to take strong, decisive and immediate action that violent and other crime will not be tolerated on BART, particularly crime targeting Asian Americans, women, seniors and other vulnerable communities,” Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council, stated in a release covered by

Bay Area Council

, prompting an acknowledgment by Governor Newsom’s office of the considerable investment already funneled to BART for safety measures and crime combat, though highlighting that responsibility for security falls to BART’s own board and police department.

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