Free Escorts for Holiday Shoppers at BART Stations Friday

A message from Oakland P.D.:

Oakland Police officers, joined by volunteers from the Oakland Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association (CPAAA) and OPD cadets, continue their tradition of escorting holiday shoppers to their cars at West Oakland BART. BART police will be providing safety escorts at all three stations.

Both Oakland and BART police officers will work side-by-side with CPAAA members in an effort to protect holiday shoppers and ensure a positive shopping experience for them. Chief Sean Whent thanked the CPAAA volunteers, who have been providing holiday safety escorts since 2008, for their excellent show of support to police services and the community.

If you would like an escort, please look for a uniformed officer, cadet, or volunteer escort. Volunteer escorts can be identified by their yellow safety vests, and will be stationed inside the BART station at an identified table, where riders can request a pedestrian escort to their parked car (within a two to three block radius of the station). At the West Oakland Station, there will also be two designated patrol vehicles to provide rides to those who do not want to walk in the dark.

Officers will also give out materials with safety travel tips to help empower passengers to better protect themselves while travelling the BART system and within their community.

The CPAAA is coordinating the program for the West Oakland community at no cost to provide an added layer of safety during the holiday season. This is their sixth year of providing this community service. CPAAA is coordinated by the Oakland Police Department, Bureau of Field Operations.

AS A SAFETY REMINDER:

• Always be aware of your surroundings. Don’t be distracted by cell phones and electronic devices;
• Stay in well lit and populated areas;
• Be especially alert when entering and exiting your vehicle;
• Remember to lock your car door after entering your vehicle; and
• If someone or something looks suspicious call the police.