BART Police Celebrate National Night Out at Ashby Station

With red, white and blue balloons and a table covered in free knickknacks and fliers with safety tips, BART police officers hoped to engage the public and address their safety concerns on at Ashby Station.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, they greeted curious BART riders as they exited the station, offering gold police badge stickers, pencils, keychain flashlights, fingerprint kits and hand sanitizer bottles to adults and children alike.

"Our theme is safety," said Crystal Raine, a community service officer, to riders eyeing them and the table. "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

"Is this stuff free?" said a man in a white hat.

Sometimes small hoardes of riders collected goodies, whispered the obligatory "thank you" and then dispersed. The officers were prepared, with more boxes of swag stashed under the table. But around 6 p.m., community service officer Janet Sakamoto warned her colleagues that they were down to their last frisbee.

A couple riders expressed their pet-peeves, complaining about bikes on trains and on escalators. Officer Raine reminded riders they can participate in BART's board meetings on Thursdays in Oakland.

Officer Raine also warned riders to take special care of their electronic items when entering and exiting trains. "We find that a lot of people are snatching iPads and iPhones — they're timing it right so they snatch them as the doors close," she said.

If you are robbed, she advises calling the police immediately and describing the person who took your item. She said the police can often catch the robber in the system if people call right away.

Some riders did ask questions, but few about safety. One man was confused about how to use his Clipper card, and another asked for directions to Prince Street. 

Despite the recent uproar over the July 3 shooting of Charles Hill at San Francisco's Civic Center BART station, only one person asked a question related to the controversial shooting. She asked why, in a confrontation, police don't shoot at a person's hand or foot.

BART Police Deputy Chief Daniel Hartwig, who was visiting the Ashby Station at the time, explained that in an imminent danger situation, police officers are trained to shoot at "center mass," not at a hand or foot, to stop the threat — not to risk aiming at a limb instead of a torso in a high-stress situation.

"I thought that was a good education for the public to know that law enforcement has specific training on how to react," said Officer Sakamoto. 

Other questions included whether or not BART police coordinate with local police departments (they do, but it depends on the situation, answered Officer J. Quill), how to deal with theft (immediately press the button in the train to alert police, said Officer Raine), and what phone number riders should call if they need help on BART. 

BART Chief of Police Kenton W. Rainey, who also visited Ashby, said the latter is the most frequently asked question, and recited the number for urgent situations: 510-464-7000.

Chief Rainey said the police and community partnership aspect of National Night Out is especially important for the BART system. He said there are only 23 officers present on the system during each ten hour shift. "We need the commuters to be our eyes and ears," he said.

Five other BART stations had National Night Out tables: Coliseum/Oakland Airport, 16th Street Mission, Union City, West Dublin, and Orinda.

This is the second time BART police have participated in National Night Out, following the 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant. An audit of BART's police department performed later that year by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) recommended that the department create a community outreach program "to re-establish their presence and build community trust."

Among other advice, the report (PDF) suggested that BART police participate in National Night Out, "to build partnerships with the communities in which they serve."