The killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis has brought understandable nationwide focus on how law enforcement personnel interact with the public, particularly members of minority communities. Given the tragic circumstances of Floyd’s death, scrutiny of tactics and procedures should be welcomed in any department where fair enforcement of the law is paramount.

Keith Garcia is president of the BART Police Officers Association. 

BART police have been under a similar microscope for more than a decade, ever since the tragic slaying of Oscar Grant at the hands of a BART officer at Fruitvale station. Indeed, many of the reforms being asked of police departments across the country already have been established at BART.

In response to the Grant slaying in 2009, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives made 55 specific recommendations on changes within the department on everything from patrol priorities and community engagement to overcoming personal biases and holding all employees to higher standards.

In the decade since, all 55 of the recommendations have been implemented. They include the establishment of a civilian review board and the funding of an Office of Independent Police Auditor to review all civilian complaints and investigate allegations of misconduct.

BART police were the first in the region to mandate body-worn cameras and are required to turn them on during every enforcement contact. All sworn officers also must undergo training in de-escalation and dealing with critical incidents in order to minimize the use of force.

Already, such efforts appear to be paying off: In 2019 alone, BART police interacted with the public more than 117,000 times, and the independent auditor, after investigating body-cam footage, found no sustained complaints on use of force.

We have also worked hard to diversify our department, recognizing that in order to gain public trust we needed to better reflect the demographic makeup of the area BART serves. Today, more than 62 percent of our officers identify as people of color, including our chief and much of the command staff.

Maintaining the standards we have set for ourselves requires daily diligence, and mistakes are sometimes still made. But we’re proud of our efforts so far and the dedication of the men and women of the department to enforce the laws and regulations with compassion.

That’s why we are so disappointed that only one BART director — Debora Allen — spoke up in defense of the department when members of the public made baseless accusations of abuse and labeled all of our officers as criminals during a recent public meeting. We’re grateful for Director Allen’s support and saddened that her comments on our behalf have been further twisted by those with political and personal agendas.

BART police have made a commitment to continue the reforms begun in 2009 and to perform our duties with dignity and respect for all. Our officers are tasked with making BART safe for the riding public under frequently difficult circumstances, a job made even more challenging without the full support of the Board of Directors.

Keith Garcia is president of the BART Police Officers Association.