BART Cops To Use “Community Policing” Model

The next time you're on a BART train, stop and say hi to the uniformed cops sharing the train with you.

It's their job to say hi back.

BART cops will use a community policing model in the coming months, a policy change enacted following the second shooting death of an civilian by police last summer, according to the Bay Citizen.

BART police were supposed to implement some changes in their method after the shooting death of Oscar Grant three years ago on the Fruitvale BART platform. Community policing might have avoided the shooting death of transient Charles Hill, a drunk knife-wielder who BART cops shot and killed on the Civic Center platform last summer.

Community policing means more public presence, more knowledge among police of whom they are policing, and less of an "us versus them" attitude in general, according to reports.

BART has 206 officers and 350,000 passengers every day.