BART Community Service Officers reunite missing 12-year-old boy with family
Thanks to the watchful eye of two Community Service Officers this morning, a missing 12-year-old boy has been safely reunited with his family after spending the night away from home.
Community Service Officers Michele Lazaneo and Jordan Averiett started their shift today with a mission to find Sam, the missing youth, after they saw SFPD put out a bulletin the night before. Sam had walked away from his middle school the day before and was considered at-risk due to his age and a medical condition.
Before their shifted started, Lazaneo and Averiett checked to see if the boy had been located overnight. He had not. Lazaneo and Averiett are non-sworn police staff who take pride in building connections in the community and with our riders. While walking around 16th Street Mission Station greeting passengers and providing a helpful presence during the early morning commute, they spotted a young man who matched the photo from the SFPD bulletin. They spoke to him and confirmed it was Sam and contacted SFPD. Not long after, Sam’s family and SFPD arrived at the station for the reunion. As they went to return home, Sam’s mom ran back over and gave our community service officers a big hug and thanked them for their efforts.
BART’s General Manager Bob Powers was at the station for his listening tour and watched as this all played out. He expressed his gratitude to Lazaneo and Averiett on the spot noting the important role frontline staff play at BART.
