BART report shows rise in sex crimes

Rapes and other sexual crimes at BART have increased in the first six months of the year, according to police.

Although the overall numbers are small, BART figures reported to the FBI show significant increases in violent sex crimes.

The news comes in the midst of growing public concern about safety on BART as well as a debate over how much information about crime BART should report to the public.

According to BART police, seven rapes occurred on the transit system’s property through the end of June. That compares with four over the same period in 2016, three in 2015 and two in 2014. The number of sexual assaults also rose with 28 reported through June 30 compared with 28 in all of 2016 and 16 in the entirety of 2015, according to BART.

BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas said that police investigations found no indication of any patterns connecting the crimes, including the work of a serial rapist. The rapes occurred at seven stations, all but one in the East Bay — in restrooms and stairwells, aboard trains and in parking lots.

“These were unrelated cases,” said Taylor Huckaby, a BART spokesman. “Crime often spikes then reverts to the norm.”

While all of the crimes involved sexual violence, not all involved forced sexual intercourse. Under federal crime reporting standards, sexual assaults with the intent to commit rape are reported as rapes.

“They often don’t fit the traditional definition of rape,” Rojas said. “But they’re considered rape.”

BART officials stress that crime rates remain low but concerns about the system’s safety have run high since the April 22 incident in which 40 to 60 youths swarmed a train

at Coliseum Station, hitting and robbing passengers.

Figures requested by The Chronicle after the mob robbery showed a 45 percent increase in robberies aboard BART trains in its stations during the first quarter of the year.

The focus on BART crime has also led to criticism about a recent decision by Rojas to eliminate a daily police log detailing criminal incidents and replace it with an online crime mapping site that’s devoid of details.

Huckaby, trying to put the sex-crime surge in context, said that during the time they occurred, the transit system gave 51.4 million rides to passengers.

“We definitely have a safe system,” said Rojas, who was sworn in as police chief in late May. “But this should serve as a reminder to make sure we’re aware.”