The BART system has seen a significant drop in crime so far this year compared to the same period last year, and BART wants everyone to know about it.

Bart police have been making steady progress in making the transit system safer since the desolate days of the early pandemic — and the increasingly crime-y times before the pandemic. And today, BART officials are are letting it be known that there's been a 15% drop in crime overall in the first eight months of 2024, through the end of August.

"The drop in criminal activity on BART is happening as we have been going all out to implement our Safe and Clean Plan,” says BART General Manager Bob Powers in a statement. "Our riders have been loud and clear that they want us to step our game up when it comes to their safety and the cleanliness of our system."

Those of us who have ridden BART, particularly after dark, in the last year might beg to differ about it feeling any safer. And, so, Powers adds, "We have more work to do on behalf of our riders, but these numbers indicate our commitment to maximizing our visible safety presence is paying off."

"Since I became BART Police Chief one year ago, it has been my top priority to maximize the number of officers walking trains and patrolling our stations," said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin in today's release. "Our officers are more visible than ever. Their efforts are containing relatively small concerns before they grow into big problems that harm service."

Franklin also spoke to KPIX today, discussing how passengers are feeling more safe in part because of the new jump-proof fare gates at stations like Civic Center and West Oakland.

"One of the things that really indicates the difference they have made is the number of Clipper Card transactions at stations with the new fare gates has increased sharply. So we know more people are using their Clipper Cards at those stations," Franklin told KPIX. "It's really eliminated the people that are fare evading just because it was easy to fare evade."

BART's announcement further touts that there has been a 10% drop in violent crime this year, compared to the same period last year. But, of course, this year also saw several high-profile violent incidents, including a homicide in July at Powell Station in which a 74-year-old woman was shoved in front of an oncoming train. There was also a stabbing by boxcutter onboard a train in March, and a man carrying a machete was arrested onboard a crowded train in January.

BART police have recorded 91 aggravated assaults and 141 robberies as of August 31 — both figures are slightly below the 2023 stats.

The agency also notes that "All of BART’s top 10 post-pandemic ridership days were in September, driven by special events including the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco and the final Oakland A’s homestand."

Photo: jonthesquirrel