BART Police's newest Deputy Chief, Ja'Son Scott, knows community connections matter

When newly minted BART Police Deputy Chief Ja’Son Scott was young, he lived across the world with his parents, who both spent their careers serving in the U.S. Air Force. They lived on military bases from Mississippi to Germany and everywhere in between.

“During that time, one of the things that was instilled in us was giving back to those in need, especially those who couldn’t necessarily help themselves,” Scott said recently.

When Scott’s family lived in the Philippines, for example, “We arrived as three and returned as six.” His parents adopted three children from the Southeast Asian country.

“It was just what we did. You gave back, you looked out,” Scott said. “My mother was very big on taking care of your community, and that was drilled into us for as long as I can remember.”

That same spirit of goodwill and giving has carried over into Scott’s career as a police officer. As BPD’s newest Deputy Chief, Scott oversees BPD’s groundbreaking Progressive Policing Bureau, which consists of unarmed Crisis Intervention Specialists and Ambassadors, as well as police officers, who proactively walk trains and connect people in need with services.

It's a role Scott has spent nearly a lifetime preparing for. Scott joined BPD as a sergeant ten years ago from the Oakland Police Department, where he started shortly after graduating from college. In 2018, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. On Monday, Nov. 7, Scott was sworn in in front of friends, family, and colleagues – including BPD Chief Edgardo Alvarez, who called Scott “the ideal candidate to lead this bureau as we move forward in being the most progressive police department, not just in transit, but the entire country.”

“He shares my vision for the department and is a great team player,” Alvarez said. “He has grown and developed his career at BART Police and is ready to take on this leadership role.”

Scott wanted to be a part of BPD at a time of great change and tragedy in the department. After the tragic shooting of Oscar Grant, Scott, then an Oakland Police officer, noticed that BART was going through many necessary changes.

“I felt my skills, especially in community outreach and engagement, were something needed at BART at that time,” he said. “I felt like I had the skills to build trust with the communities we serve and to teach others to do the same.”

BART, he said, was incredibly open to his many ideas. Since Scott arrived at BART, the department has unrolled a host of community engagement events, among them, the G.R.E.A.T. program, Shop with a Cop, and Trunk or Treat. It’s all about forging connections with the community, listening to their ideas and concerns, and building trust.

Deputy Chief Scott and his family after his swearing in ceremony on Nov. 7, 2022.

“It’s very important that people get to meet the officers that serve the communities,” Scott said. “Our communities know how they want to be policed and want to know who’s policing them. It’s necessary to have those honest conversations, and we need to listen. It’s not always what we want to hear, but we have to be sure the community is comfortable with the work we’re doing.”

Scott has many ideas for his time as Deputy Chief, a role he said he applied for because he wants to be “at the forefront of progressive policing” and help decide the direction of the organization. He said he’s looking forward to getting the Progressive Policing Bureau fully staffed and looking at “what we’re doing, how we’re providing that service, and what we can improve upon.”

His approach to policing always starts from a place of fairness, he said, and understanding that not every incident needs to lead to an arrest or citation.

“We’re not going to arrest our way out of some of the problems we’re seeing,” such as drug and alcohol addiction and homelessness, Scott said.

He noted that these issues are “part of a bigger puzzle.”

“Let’s reach for the stars with this,” he said. “Let’s give people hope. Let’s let people know they can overcome their challenges. It’s a tall task, but the community needs to know they’re not in it alone. We’re here for them, and we’ll go on this journey with them.”

Scott said he wanted to be a police officer from a young age, since watching motorcycle cops on the 1980s tv series “CHiPs.”

“That’s the short story. What really made me want to get in the career is I wanted an environment where I can truly work with my community and make it better,” he said.

“I remember growing up and seeing the Rodney King incident and the riots that came after when the officers weren’t held accountable,” he continued. “I want to serve the community and do it the right way. And be there for young people.”

For more than a decade, Scott has served as an instructor as part of the G.R.E.A.T. program – Gang Resistance Education and Training. He’s currently teaching two courses, on a volunteer basis, at Anna Yates Elementary in Emeryville. While instructing the children, Scott’s picked up a few lessons himself.

Deputy Chief Scott with students from the G.R.E.A.T. program.

“One of the things I’ve truly learned is representation matters,” he said. “Kids in our communities don’t always see positive people that look like them. There may be some apprehensiveness. You must be very patient, very honest, very open with them. And open to having a good time.”

Outside of work, Scott enjoys spending time with his two daughters, ten and 12, and his wife and brother, who is a police officer at BPD. He’s also an avid sneakerhead, which sometimes helps start conversations with the young people he meets. At his swearing in on Nov. 7, his family, including his daughters, watched him with pride.

Scott said the swearing in made him realize “how many people have touched my life and career, and also the sacrifices my parents, my wife, and my kids have made.”

“There were days I was made to work Halloween night or Christmas morning,” he said. “It takes the family working together to make for a successful career.”

Four days into his new role, Scott said he feels excited and a little bit nervous. What he knows for certain: He’s got big plans.

"To grow trust in the profession starts with one person," Scott said. "I wanted to be that inspiration for other people."