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The BART Police Department’s Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau has won the American Public Transportation Association’s national Innovation Award. The Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau (PPCEB) has established itself as a national model by increasing BART’s safety presence while ensuring the system is welcoming to all members of the community. The PPCEB is a trail blazing part of the effort to ensure BART is the safest way to travel across the Bay Area.

“The members of the Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau are force multipliers for rider safety,” said BART PD interim Chief Kevin Franklin. “The bureau has become a national model with both transit and traditional law enforcement agencies reaching out to us to learn more about the innovative steps we’re taking to boost safety for our riders.”

The numbers show how the PPCEB is boosting rider safety. In the first six months of this year members of the PPCEB performed more than 10,700 welfare checks on people in the BART system who appeared to need help. There were more than 2,500 instances when PPCEB members intervened when they saw violations of BART’s Code of Conduct. In the past those violations would have required a response by a sworn officer. Instead, members of the PPCEB can offer a more appropriate response with unarmed, specially trained BART PD staff. That has freed up sworn officers to respond more quickly to urgent emergency calls. BART PD has one of the fastest response times for tier 1 emergency calls at an average of just more than 4 minutes.

The PPCEB is primarily composed of non-sworn Transit Ambassadors and Crisis Intervention Specialists. These unarmed employees of BART PD receive specialized training in de-escalation techniques. Transit Ambassadors walk dozens of trains and platforms each day. They’re equipped with radios to report safety concerns. They observe, report, and call upon traditional sworn officers when enforcement is needed. Crisis Intervention Specialists have backgrounds in social work and specialize in connecting people at risk with potentially lifesaving services.

The PPCEB was launched in 2020. It was the first of its kind for a transit agency in the U.S. The BART PD model stands out because members of the PPCEB are full-time BART PD employees as opposed to contractors that many other systems rely on. The bureau builds on a history of more than a decade of reform efforts aimed at elevating equitable policing at BART. 
 

BART has been awarded the Triple Crown Award by the Government Finance Officers Association, one of the highest honors in public finance. The distinction for the fiscal year that ends in 2024 recognizes governments that have achieved excellence in budgeting, financial reporting, and financial planning, and is earned by only 441 governments across the United States and Canada. 

The Triple Crown Award recognizes agencies that achieve excellence in three critical areas of financial reporting and accountability: the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the Popular Annual Financial Report, and the Annual Budget. Organizations must meet rigorous standards for transparency, accuracy, and communication of financial information to qualify. 

The award places BART among a small percentage of public agencies recognized for demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism and excellence in public finance. 

“This recognition reflects BART’s ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of public funds,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “As we face significantly challenging financial times for public transit, we remain focused on ensuring taxpayers, riders, and stakeholders have confidence in how we manage every dollar entrusted to us.” 

The honor comes as BART continues to implement cost-saving measures and pursue new revenue opportunities. Earlier this month, when the BART Board of Directors adopted a balanced FY27 budget, it also voted to adopt a series of recommended early action strategies meant to enhance revenue and reduce costs. The items are based on recommendations from an independent Bay Area Financial Efficiency Review commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.  

The actions approved by the Board include improving fare compliance through optimization of BART’s new fare gates, enhancing parking revenue, leasing communications assets, expanding the Clipper BayPass program, improving service reliability through schedule changes, operating shorter trains during lower-demand periods, identifying contract savings opportunities, and evaluating expanded retail partnerships. 

The third-party review found that between 2019 and 2025, BART reduced operating costs by more than $516 million through service reductions, workforce controls, and operational efficiencies. 

The Triple Crown Award also follows another significant external validation of BART’s financial and operational management. In its FY 2025 Triennial Review, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) found BART in compliance with all 23 federal standards evaluated, including financial management, federal grant administration, procurement, and project implementation. The review was the result of a nearly 10-month process that included multiple site visits and thorough examination of BART’s management practices. The FTA’s findings reinforced BART’s commitment to responsible use of public resources and effective oversight.  

Together, the GFOA Triple Crown Award, the independent Financial Efficiency Review, and the FTA’s comprehensive assessment underscore BART’s continued focus on fiscal responsibility, transparency, and delivering value for riders and taxpayers across the Bay Area.

BART’s busy and recently modernized El Cerrito del Norte Station now has a restroom attendant to greet riders and ensure restrooms remain clean, safe, and accessible to riders. This recent expansion to El Cerrito del Norte has been accomplished without an additional cost to BART’s budget because BART is using existing staff resources, utilizing employees on a temporary modified assignment. 

This is the first time BART is deploying an attendant to an above ground station and the first time BART is using existing BART staff and not a contractor. Previously only underground station restrooms that have been recently reopened to the public included attendants staffed by contracted workers from District Works.  

Seven BART stations now have restroom attendants during all operating hours including Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Lake Merritt, 19th Street Oakland, Downtown Berkeley, and now El Cerrito del Norte. Attendants greet riders, record bathroom usage, check on cleanliness, notify janitors when they are needed, and intervene, if necessary, by calling BART Police.  

When the El Cerrito del Norte Station was modernized, the restrooms were rebuilt with a more open concept with partitions inside and no main door at the entryway. This design, along with the addition of an attendant, has reduced lines to use the restroom. Station Agents can now focus on other customer service assistance instead of needing to check on the restrooms and handle issues related to restrooms being abused.  

BART Director Rebecca Saltzman requested the addition of attendants at El Cerrito del Norte station, “Restroom attendants have proven to discourage unwanted behavior inside restrooms, ensuring they remain open, clean and safe,” said Saltzman. “Since we’ve added an attendant at El Cerrito del Norte, I have personally noticed an improved experience for riders using the restrooms. I want to thank BART leadership for testing this new approach of using existing staff resources to add an attendant to the restroom.”

BART is grateful to Governor Newsom for signing Senate Bill (SB) 63 into law. The Governor has been a steadfast advocate of transit and BART specifically, recognizing our role in moving the region and strengthening the economy. SB 63 is a historic opportunity to allow voters in five counties of the Bay Area to consider a sales tax measure in November 2026 aimed at preserving and improving transit. 

A regional transportation funding measure would provide a reliable funding source for BART and other agencies to address deficits caused by remote work. The BART Board of Directors supported SB 63 because it will cover a significant portion of BART’s operating deficit and allow us to maintain current service levels and improve the rider experience. 

Before measure funds become available, BART will rely on internal cuts, efficiency measures, and a series of one-time solutions to pay for operations. BART will continue to identify additional cost savings and efficiencies to address our deficit, and we welcome the enhanced accountability measures and financial efficiency review included in SB 63.  

BART is also grateful to Senators Scott Wiener and Jesse Arreguín for championing this legislation and their fierce advocacy for transit funding. 

On Wednesday, Dec. 10, members of the BART Police Department and their families gathered at BART PD Headquarters for the 13th Annual BART PD Awards Ceremony, a celebration of the officers, professional staff, civilians, and good Samaritans who went above and beyond to keep the system safe over the past year. 

The annual event offers a moment to reflect on the department’s achievements and the progress made across the BART system. There is much to recognize in 2025; as of October, overall crime is down 45% year over year, with violent crime declining by 32% and property crime dropping 47%. 

The New BART emphasizes providing a welcoming experience to riders from departure to arrival, and the steadfast dedication of BART PD officers and civilian staff uplifts this mission.

“We’ve made a huge advancement in safety this year,” said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin in his opening remarks. “Let’s continue to build on this progress in the new year.” 

During the ceremony, Chief Franklin presented nine awards to twenty honorees. Congratulations to this year’s recipients: 

Good Samaritan Award 

BART Station Agent Shalana Penyweit; Damon Bonadie and Raqheali Bonadie 

Community Service Award 

Analyst Jennifer Bowman

Civilian of the Year 

Supervisor Jason DeVera 

Excellence in Service Award 

Community Service Officer Justin Sap, Officer Miguel Cortez-Valdez 

Exceptional Case Award 

Officer Tyler Espino, Officer Rafael Arreola, Officer Todd Hubbard, Officer Michael McPeak, Community Service Officer Roland Laureta, Detective Teaundre Matthews, Sergeant Erik Rose 

Life-Saving Award 

Officer Garrett Dibble, Officer Brandan Trammell 

Dispatcher of the Year 

Dispatcher Alicia Hernandez 

Officer of the Year 

Officer Brandan Trammell 

Chief’s Award 

Manager Matthew Cromer