Why do BART Police Officers need guns?
BART is a city unto itself. In fact, BART carries about as many passengers each day as the number of residents living in the Bay Area’s third largest city – Oakland. Its police are responsible for the safety and security of all of BART 375,000 daily customers, BART employees and BART facilities. As such, BART Police are fully sworn peace officers and are authorized to carry firearms. Additionally, BART is listed as a top ten terrorist target in the state of California and its police are trained in counterterrorism tactics as well. In addition, other jurisdictions often call upon BART Police to assist them during emergencies. While enforcing the law, BART Police can and do face life-threatening situations in which the use of firearms is justifiable.
