BART Police Department doubles down on commitment to fill 28 officer vacancies
As part of it’s ongoing commitment to making BART the Bay Area’s safest way to travel, the BART Police Department is pursuing an aggressive recruiting campaign to fill 28 officer vacancies. The announcement comes after the BART Board of Directors unanimously approved an agreement that increased BPD officer salaries to make them competitive with other Bay Area law enforcement agencies. BPD salaries had previously been 19% below the market average for 10 comparable jurisdictions.
“We are pulling out all stops to fill our current officer vacancies and continue our progress toward making BART the safest way to travel the Bay Area,” said interim Police Chief Kevin Franklin." Competitive pay is essential to attracting the top officer candidates, and we believe this pay increase will help BPD attract excellent candidates. We also offer state-of-the-art equipment and training, an array of special assignments, and an unmatched commitment to community policing across the Bay Area.”
BART General Manager Bob Powers and the BART Board have committed to adding 19 additional new officer positions once BPD fills all its current vacancies.
“We are putting our money where our mouth is when it comes to ensuring the safety of our riders,” said Powers. “In addition to our success adding Crisis Intervention Specialists and Transit Ambassadors, these new sworn BPD officers represent an important investment in the safety and security of the BART system that the Bay Area demands, and we will provide. We know that by filling these vacancies through the duration of 2023, as well as adding additional, highly-trained BPD positions, we will ensure BART is safer and cleaner for all our riders.”
BPD has set a goal of hiring 6 officers a month starting in August. The department has hired 19 officers so far this year including 4 that are set to graduate from academy this month.
BPD has streamlined its hiring procedures to ensure qualified candidates move swiftly through the process. The department’s latest recruitment open house in July was a great success. It attracted 65 prospects and 21 applied on the spot to take BPD’s written exam and physical agility test.
BPD has had success hiring non-sworn Crisis Intervention Specialists (CIS) and Transit Ambassadors. BPD has filled 19 of its 20 CIS positions and 9 of its 10 Ambassador spots. These unarmed BPD staff play a vital role in helping the department to boost its visible safety presence in the system. They receive de-escalation training and work in coordination with sworn officers.
Officer candidates can learn more about working for BPD at the department’s employment page. The site allows prospects to text a recruiter so they can speak live to staff about applying with the department.