The Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau
The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and its police department are at the forefront of progressive policing and nowhere is that commitment more evident than the Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau (PPCEB). Launched in 2020, the PPCEB builds on more than a decade of progressive reforms aimed at elevating equitable policing and ensuring BART is welcoming to all riders. This reimagined safety approach is key to our efforts to regrow ridership.
The homelessness crisis and opioid epidemic are nationwide problems larger than any transit agency could tackle alone, but doing nothing is not an option. BART realizes not every unwanted behavior on a train or in a station requires response by an armed police officer. The PPCEB is comprised of unarmed Crisis Intervention Specialists (CISes) and Transit Ambassadors who work in special engagement teams to boost visible presence in the system and connect people with support services. Both positions are full time and represented, and they signal our vested interest in the success of the program. Their efforts are diverting hundreds of calls for service that would ordinarily require a response from an armed officer, freeing up sworn personnel to respond more quickly to emergency situations.
Download our Progressive Policing Brochure
Transit Ambassadors
Transit Ambassadors are a highly visible presence in the system equipped with radios to report safety concerns and biohazards. They are outfitted with Narcan to respond to drug overdoses. The first Ambassadors were deployed in 2020.
Crisis Intervention Specialists
Crisis Intervention Specialists serve as liaisons between BART Police and community-based organizations that provide mental health, housing, and other services. CISes have a background in social work and are specially trained to work in the unique transit system environment. They deter and diffuse acts of violence, harassment, and vandalism using conflict-resolution and de-escalation techniques.
BART’s goal is to lead the way with new approaches that address systemic societal issues. The PPCEB was formed in direct response to feedback from riders who want a greater safety presence on BART with less reliance on traditional, armed police officers. We’ve embraced this holistic approach acknowledging that people perceive and experience safety differently.
Our approach diverts people in crisis away from the criminal justice system and emphasizes harm reduction. The work is helping BART and its police department build trust, transparency, and accountability, while demonstrating how sworn and non-sworn personnel can work together to enhance safety on BART.
Frequently Asked Questions about Crisis Intervention Specialists and Transit Ambassadors
- What is the mission of the progressive policing program?
The Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau builds on more than a decade of progressive reforms at the BART Police Department which are aimed at elevating equitable policing and ensuring BART is welcoming to all riders. The reimagined safety approach is a key to our efforts to regrow ridership. BART PD realizes the homelessness crisis and opioid epidemic are larger than BART or any other transit agency. But we also know that doing nothing in response to these challenges isn’t an option.
- How is the efficacy of the program evaluated, and what does “success” look like?
Every time we can connect someone experiencing a crisis with support services, that is a success. Depending on the circumstances that help can be the difference between life and death for someone who is hooked on potentially lethal drugs or is experiencing homelessness or a mental crisis. Each of these contacts is freeing up officers to respond to emergencies that are more appropriately handled by sworn personnel. We have one of the fastest police response times to emergencies in the Bay Area of under five minutes. Having extra personnel to free up our officers is a big part of how we’ve been able to continue to meet our goal of five minutes for the last six quarters.
In addition to helping people in crisis, the Transit Ambassadors and Crisis Intervention Specialists have become a big part of our overall visible safety presence in the system. Boosting our visible safety presence in as many ways as possible is a direct response to feedback from our riders.
- How does adding Crisis Intervention Specialists and Transit Ambassadors impact efforts to hire sworn police officers?
We are moving forward at full speed with an aggressive officer recruitment campaign. This includes the launching of a new recruitment video, officer a $1,000 hiring bonus, streamlining our hiring process, attending job fairs throughout the region, and supporting our recruitment site at joinbartpd.com. Every current officer vacancy is fully funded by the Board, and we are doing all we can in a competitive job environment for law enforcement to fill those vacancies.
Our Crisis Intervention Specialists and Transit Ambassadors have proven themselves to be force multipliers for safety. We’ve also been highly successful at filling our non-sworn positions. In fact, members of our Transit Ambassador team have been promoted to sworn officers. We have a larger, stronger, and more versatile safety presence through the use of both sworn and non-sworn personnel.
- What can Crisis Intervention Specialist teams offer that BART police cannot?
As part of our commitment to progressive policing and reform, training at BART PD exceeds the standards set by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). POST requires 24 hours of advanced officer training every two years. BPD officers are trained for a minimum of 24 hours annually. Every BPD officer receives de-escalation training.
Crisis Intervention Specialists all have backgrounds in social work. That experience is invaluable as they work to build connections with people in crisis. Often it can take many contacts with the same person to build the trust necessary for that person to be open to receiving help. Because CIS teams do not have enforcement responsibilities, they are able to focus fulltime on building those connections.
- What’s the difference between the Crisis Intervention Specialist and Transit Ambassador roles?
Crisis Intervention Specialists all have backgrounds in social work while Transit Ambassadors do not. Ambassadors are not focused on making contacts with people in crisis but rather walk trains and stations to observe what’s happening and report safety concerns or biohazards. All of our non-sworn personnel are equipped with radios should they need support from a sworn officer.
More than a decade of reforms
There are years of actions to back up BPD’s commitment to equitable policing. This includes having one of the most robust officer body-worn camera policies in the nation, being the first transit police agency in the country to work with the Center for Policing Equity to analyze its enforcement data, and attaining one of the industry’s most prestigious accreditations for following best practices.
Learn more about how BPD is being responsive to community input on our Reforms to Date page.