Riders must go beyond call to make BART safer
Filing detailed complaint helps officers take action
“BART really needs to do a better job of making people feel safe.”
That’s what a reader wrote in response to my column about BART commuters terrorized for several stops on the Pittsburg/ Bay Point line last week by a man threatening to kill them — and how one rider felt the reaction from BART police was inadequate.
Emails poured in from readers — and riders — stuffing my inbox like a rush-hour train car. I didn’t expect so many complaints about BART, but obviously I’m not the only one concerned about safety.
“The persistent problem with BART — I ride it several times a week — is that police presence is virtually non-existent,” another reader wrote.
Yet another reader offered this solution to a situation like the one I wrote about: When BART police are far away from a problem being called in, instead of waiting to intercept a train at a station down the line, BART should coordinate a quicker response with the California Highway
Patrol and the local sheriff ’s department.
That sounds complicated, but it’s certainly less dangerous than what I fear: vigilante justice. More than a few readers told me they were ready to take matters into their own hands.
“People who want to hurt us need to understand someday they’ll run into someone who will take care of ourselves first, those around us next and we’ll take action against unsafe situations,” wrote one of several readers who said they had permits for concealed firearms.
Wait, let’s take a breather.
BART averages about 423,000 riders each weekday, and it wants riders to take action when they see a problem — but not violent action.
What BART really needs is for more people to report any situation that makes them feel unsafe. But it’s not enough to say a person is causing problems. You have to spell out for police why you think a person is dangerous.
“If an officer’s not there, we really need our citizens and BART customers to explain to us what happened, and to be willing to participate in our investigation,” said Lance Haight, BART’s deputy police chief.
There are four ways to call for help. You can dial 911 and have the call transferred to BART police. You can save the direct line to BART police — (510) 464-7000 — on your phone. You can download the BART Watch mobile app on your phone — it lets you text a report to BART police dispatch. Or, if you’re on a train, you can use the intercom at the end of the car to talk to the train operator.
In the incident I wrote about, the early morning commute of Mike Hohndorf of Oakley and dozens of other passengers was disrupted July 21 by a man who yelled, “I’m going to stab all of you!” as riders waited for the North Concord/Martinez BART Station to open.
The man continued to shout threats on the BART train until he got off at the MacArthur Station. This irked Hohndorf, because he had had a conversation with a BART police officer about the problem before the man got on the train at North Concord/Martinez.
When I spoke to Haight on Friday morning, I learned that the officer Hohndorf spoke with had recognized the man from a few weeks earlier. But on July 21, when the officer asked what the man was doing, he calmly said he was just going to San Francisco.
He didn’t shout, stomp his feet or make a death threat in the officer’s presence, which is why he was able to get on the train. Hohndorf had told the officer that the man was a danger to himself and others, but according to BART police, he didn’t tell the officer about the death threats.
“If this guy’s threatening people, our officer needs to know that,” Haight said. “And with that information, our officer is expected — should, shall — take enforcement action. When our officer knows that a person is a danger to themselves or others, we cannot allow that person just to go about their way.”
Taking action doesn’t end with just making a call. Sometimes action requires providing a statement — or making a citizen’s arrest.
Wait, let’s take another breather.
No, a citizen’s arrest doesn’t mean tackling someone and holding him until the police arrive, something you might see in a movie. Rather, it means signing a form stating what criminal behavior you observed and that you’re willing to press charges.
Yes, you might have to step off the train before your stop to take care of the situation.
Yes, filing a complaint takes time.
Passengers’ unwillingness to get involved is a problem BART officers often face when responding to a disturbance, according to Haight. Many times when the officer arrives, the subject of the call starts behaving like a model citizen — as happened on July 21. And when officers poke their head into a train and ask if anyone saw anything, there’s dead silence.
Nobody wants to say who done it.
“We can’t take that next step of actually bringing them into custody unless someone steps up and offers the detailed information, and signs it,” BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said.
So if you see something on a train, BART really wants to hear from you — even if it means you’ll arrive late to your destination.