Is BART policing racially motivated? A new study intends to find out

A new study will analyze how the BART police force responds to incidents of fare evasion – and whether race plays a role in the transit authority’s law enforcement.

Past research shows Black BART riders were stopped by the subway’s police eight times more often than their White counterparts from 2012 to 2017, while also being 15 times more likely to experience a use of force from the BART Police Department.

This study, which will be conducted by the Center for Policing Equity and BART’s Office of the Independent Police Auditor for 18 months, will build on that research, and ultimately provide the transit authority with recommendations to improve its practices.

“All transit riders deserve to feel a sense of belonging, freedom, and safety when traveling on public transportation,” said Hans Menos, Vice President of the Triage Response Team at the Center for Policing Equity, in a press release. “That sense of security should include protection from racial bias, and freedom from harassment at the hands of law enforcement.”

The transit agency’s police authority is the first of its kind in the country to undergo reviews from agencies like the Center for Policing Equity. After the first set of research came out, the BART Police Department adopted all six recommendations made by the entity, including enhancing supervisor review of stop records, and updating data collection for stops, searches and uses of force across the agency.

Even so, fare evasion is a huge issue for the transit system: Before the pandemic, BART officials estimated that fare evaders cost the transit agency $25 million a year in lost revenue. In 2018, BART beefed up their response to fare evasion, requiring riders to provide proof of payment inside fare gates and onboard trains. If caught without proof of payment, adults are charged $75, and minors are charged $55.

“It is important to constantly evaluate the policies and practices of BPD to ensure that our reform efforts are effective and sustainable,” said Russell Bloom, Independent Police Auditor, in a press release. “Using data to examine the root causes of disparate outcomes is a critically important way to understand which reforms are working and where we may need to refocus our attention and resources.”