BART Steps Up Security In Wake Of NYC Subway Mass Shooting
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- The mass shooting in New York City is prompting questions about how transit systems across the country respond to any unforeseen event endangering the lives of riders.
On Tuesday, BART Police deployed every uniformed officer within the system, increasing its presence because of the NYC subway shooting that injured 10 riders.
Improvements in security technology have helped, but there are concerns when that technology breaks down.
"Anyone who's taking the train and public transit should have the right to feel safe and secure," said rider Annie Kasitaza.
Thousands of cameras throughout the BART transit system monitor what's happening on platforms, entrances, and inside each train.
"It does add the time element to incidents. We can go back and check our stairwells, people walking into our stations, when they walk onto the platforms and get on trains," said BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez.
The concern is when they malfunction at the time of a shooting like some did in New York City Tuesday morning, and valuable surveillance is lost.
"There has to be a preventative maintenance program in place that allows them to make sure what they have in place is operating properly," said KPIX 5 security analyst Jeff Harp.
"Probably 80 percent are working and 20 percent of them are not. Unfortunately Murphy rears its ugly head and the 20 percent that are not working are the ones you need," said Harp.
BART's 4,000 cameras are monitored in its Operations Control Center and Police Dispatch Center around the clock.
But with cell phones capturing videos and images daily, that surveillance network expands, sometimes providing key evidence for law enforcement.
"BART is safe. We ask for their help. We can't do it by ourselves. We can't be everywhere. Our riders are," said Alvarez.
Prior to 2017 BART deployed decoy cameras inside some trains but ended that practice. Now, each train has a camera installed.
The transit agency wouldn't specify how many of its 4000 surveillance cameras are working for security purposes.
"They're doing an active job. They're here patrolling the stations so that it's a safe environment," said rider Cody Bratlus.
BART's police chief said the agency would use additional funding for safety measures if they become available. It's unclear exactly how that would be done.