BART Police and Station Agents a thought or two
I arrived home early tonight; my better half has gone out for a walk. I decided, to do some work on-line, when I saw this site on the computer screen. I had not heard of this site and now I wish, “I had not found it, tonight.â€
I was saddened, by what I read. Cops and Station Agents what a job! I would defend them, but they seem to do well enough on their own.
I pulled out two things for items from my husband’s files, one for BART Police and the other, for those that like to complain about them.
Everyday before my Husband goes to work and finishes praying, for many of his co-workers, he last prayer is for your, the BART Police Officer and Police everywhere:
O Almighty God,
Whose great power and eternal
Wisdom embraces the universe,
Watch over all policemen and
Law enforcement officers everywhere.
Protect them from harm
In the performance of their duty
To stop crime, robbery,
Riots and violence.
We pray, help them keep our streets
And homes safe, day and night.
We commend them to your loving care
Because their duty is dangerous.
Grant them strength and courage
In their daily assignments.
Dear God, protect these brave men and women.
Grant them your almighty protection,
Unite them safely with their families after
Duty has ended.
Please God, grant us this wish…
My Husband had this in his locker for many years, some food for thought for those who like to complain about BART police:
Well, Mr. Citizen, I guess you've figured me out. I seem to fit neatly in the category where you placed me. I am stereotyped, characterized, standardized, classified, grouped, and always typical. Unfortunately, the reverse is not true.. I can never figure you out. From birth you teach your children that I'm the boogeyman and then you're shocked when they identify with my traditional enemy, THE CRIMINAL. You accuse me of coddling juveniles until I catch your kid doing wrong. You take an hour for lunch and several coffee breaks each day, but point me out as a loafer if you catch me having just one cup. You pride yourself on your polished manners, but think nothing of disrupting my meals with your troubles. You raise hell with the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me catch you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you. You know all the traffic laws, but you've never gotten a single ticket you deserved. You shout "FOUL!" if you see me driving too fast to an emergency call, but raise hell if I take more than ten seconds to respond to your call. You call it part of my job if someone strikes me, but it's police brutality if I strike back. You would not think of telling your dentist how to pull a badly-decayed tooth, or your doctor how to take out your appendix, but are always willing to give me a few pointers on the law. You talk to me in a manner that would assure a bloody nose from anyone else, but expect me to take it without batting an eye. You cry "Something has got to be done about the crime!" but you can't be bothered with getting involved. You have no use for me at all, but of course it's O.K. if I change a flat for your wife, or deliver your child in the back seat of my radio car on the way to the hospital, or save your son's life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, or work many hours looking for your lost daughter. So, Mr. Citizen, you stand there on your soapbox and rant and rave about the way I do my job, calling me every name in the book, but never stopping to think that your property, your family, or maybe even your life depends on me or one of my buddies. Yes, Mr. Citizen, it's me, the lousy cop!
Some may assume, I am married to a BART Policemen, but this is not the case. My husband depends on them, he is one of those rude station agents, everyone complains about. If you meet him, you will have to eat your words, but then when you met a helpful Agent, you never remember, to post that, or take the time to fill out the comment card.
When he sees this post, he will be upset with me, but maybe, it will bring a smile to a BART Police Officer face.
Yes - the Bart police are
Yes - the Bart police are great - there is not one bad thing I can say about them. As for the agents, in general I don't think they are rude or mean. I would say most of them do a decent job. However, after riding Bart to SF for 10 years, I am still amazed at what they agents don't do. Maybe an agent should tell what they are supposed to do. Are they supposed to tell some eating a burger while going through the gates that there is no eating on Bart (while they sit in the booth and watch). Should they say something to the biker rider who goes in the side gate without paying. I don't know. There are so many times I see the agent just sitting in the booth while all this stuff is going on.
Agents - please tell us the scope of your job! People have frustrations because Bart is expenseive, not only in fairs, but also in the taxes we pay for Bart. Bart agents earn more money than probably most people taking Bart.
The large word on the upper
The large word on the upper part of the booth is a good start, it says "INFORMATION". Agents are not in any way afiliated with Security or fare enforcement.
Getting into a verbal confrontation with people fare evading is pointless. The ride thief already knows they are breaking the law and stealing from you, the paying patron. As an agent the verbal confrontation is not worth the possibility of it going to threats of, or to actual violence. Agents in the past have been fired just for defending themself in a fight when management says the event should never have escalated.
The mantra that keeps agents employed and their blood pressure down is: "BART doesn't care enough about fare evaders to do something so why should I" Simply put it's not worth loosing the job over.
Next; stand in the center of the station and slowly turn around, see all the machines? (fix, fill, load, empty, clean (inside), report, call in the repair order, and assist patrons with them when asked)
See the Information Kiosk (update and re-stock the brochures,maps,job postings, stock the cases of any printed material that you see and re order anything the station is running out of)
This is just a few of the things Agents do... There is so much more to the job and what they are responsible for that I can only try to give anyone an Idea of it like this;
You go to the circus and see the Ringmaster... He just stands there and shouts out the next act and your attention focuses elsewhere. When the act is over your attention is focused on him again and he does it again. You don't see all the behind the scenes stuff he's involved with because you only see him at certain times, kinda like agents.
Basically the Scope of the job is to provide Information and to keep things running smoothly for the 340,000+ daily patrons using the system that do pay.
Ironically you praise the Bart Police and say you don't have one bad thing to say about them yet, they are the ones responsible for fare evasion and enforcement of food rules. Just something for you to think about...
As a former BART employee, I
As a former BART employee, I KNOW that some agents are more proactive than others. Some agents get on the PA immediately asking for BART police when a fare evader enters the paid area. I watched an agent at 12th St. just a couple days ago approach two young women on roller skates and tell them they couldn't enter the station wearubg skates. I've heard agents make announcements about no bikes during the commute, or no skate boarding. They are not armed security and there is little more that they can do.
Then there are the burnouts who think that management is out to get them and spend an inordinate amount of time trying to work the system. Thankfully, they are the minority. These are the rude agents who hold BART passengers in utter comtempt. I've had agents be very helpful to me, and I've had some I would have liked to have fired myself. These are people who wouldn't be happy anywhere they worked and should never under any circumstances be dealing with the public.
If you don't like the way BART is run, you should be telling your elected representative on the BART Board. Show up at a board meeting and voice your concerns. Draft a petition with a few dozen signatures and send it to the District Secretary and copy the media. That will get their attention. It's your money that supports BART, you have a right to voice an opinion and get a response.
I'm another Station Agent
I'm another Station Agent who used to work in downtown SF. I tried to stop a group of bicyclist during the evening commute. There were about 20 of them! They entered through the side gates and several processed their tickets before I could get down to that end of the station and tell them they couldn't take their bikes on the train unitl after 7PM.
The spokesman for the group became argumentative and confrontational and finally asked to talk to my supervisor. My supervisor overruled me! My supervisor allowed TWENTY bicyclist to go down to the very crowded platform and jam their way onto the crowded commute trains! Anyone who boards a train in downtown SF during the commute knows that once the eastbay bound train passes Civic Center it's already loaded. Imagine what those passengers at Embarcadero thought when the train car doors opened and there were 20 bicyclist standing there looking smug because they talked to a supervisor who overruled the Station Agent.
That was the LAST time I enforced the "No Bikes" rule. I don't enforce the "No Eating or Drinking" rule either. Why not? Because BART has hot dog carts at many stations and at the Pleasant Hill station they built a snack shop right in front of the fare gates! You can't send mixed messages to the riders like that. That's inviting them to spend their money and then telling them they have to either miss their train while they finish their food/drink, OR throw it out so they can get their train on time. Riders pay enough money to ride BART. Asking them to toss their food is the same as asking them to throw cash in the trash.
I will enforce the "No Smoking" rule because riders can't buy cigarettes on BART property AND cigarettes can cause a fire in the train.
I will do my best to keep the ticket machines, fare gates and add-fare machines in working condition. Just remember, BART goes with the lowest bidder and these machines are already starting to have SERIOUS problems.
I will do whatever I can to "fix" your BART ticket when it is not working. If I tell you I have to write it up for a refund, please don't get nasty with me. It's BART policy. If I could do it any other way to make your ride less annoying, less time consuming, believe me I would. Do you really think I enjoy writing out those long, detailed forms? I'd rather be able to hand you a good ticket and send you on your way. BART won't let us do that.
If you are disabled and need my assistance, I'll be there to help you in anyway I can. If your power wheelchair needs a charge, I will show you where the closest outlet is. If you are vision impaired and need my assistance to get to the bus stop or up to or down from the platform, I'll offer you my arm and guide you.
I will NOT call you a cab. I will NOT call your mommy to come pick you up. The telephones in the booths do not call anywhere but other BART extension. I will NOT charge your cell phone for you and I will NOT let you use my personal cell phone. Unlike some agents, I do not keep my cell phone in the booth while I am on duty. I will NOT give you a free ride because you spent your money on too many beers, cups of Starbucks coffee or a bag full of clothes from The Gap. I will NOT help you with your luggage. You packed it, you haul it. BART did not issue me a "Red Cap".
I will do everything in my power to help you find your child or elderly parent who got on the train 4 hours ago but hasn't been seen or heard since. I will let you wait inside the station for your bus, a cab or your ride - even if you didn't ride BART. I will call other stations looking for the laptop you left on the train. I will call you an ambulance if you need one. I will sit with you and wait until your panic attack passes. I will let your excited granchildren come through the side gate to hug you because they can't wait another second.
I will answer your question, even though it's the one-hundredth time I've heard it today. I will respond to any reasonable request for assistance. That's what I get paid to do, but more so, it's the humane thing to do. Live by the Golden Rule......
AND DON'T FORGET TO ADD THAT
AND DON'T FORGET TO ADD THAT YOU GET PAID VERY WELL WITH GREAT BENEFITS TOO. NO DOUBT YOU WELL EARN YOUR PAY AND SHOULD BE PROUD OF IT. I have riden BART ever since it opened and have NEVER caught a station agent doing anything. Rarely the station agent is anywhere to be found! That's pretty bad odds considering the amount of years. Isn't it a shame how easily we notice (and remember) the freeloaders instead of the hard workers. This website proves that beyond a shadow of doubt!
A supervisor undercut you?
A supervisor undercut you? Hope it wasn't an FW.
THANKS FOR THE PRAYER!!! IT
THANKS FOR THE PRAYER!!! IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED!!!
1BARTCOP
Prayer is useless, just
Prayer is useless, just superstition- contact your BART director and MTC representative to really make a difference.
Certainly nothing as
Certainly nothing as worthless as that last comment...one extending their prayers is a way of showing concern, whether you beleive in its benefits or not, why deride that users good intentions and concern?
Tolerance is best shown when one is silent allowing someone he or she doesn't agree with to speak. You don't have to agree, but you tolerate someone else's chance to say it.
More eloquently said:
"Although I do not share your point of view, I shall defend to the dead your right to express it."
Voltaire
and one more that fits this situation, also by Voltaire...
"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it."
Voltaire
If aggression and blame
If aggression and blame brought happiness, the world would be a very happy place! Mahatma Gandhi once said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Maybe, someone is just trying to do their part, to be the change they wish to see, in the world.
My first and last post