San Francisco BART crime statistics show crime inching down

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The number of aggravated assaults on San Francisco BART trains and platforms has increased, while overall violent crimes went down this year.

The San Francisco Chronicle quotes BART Police Chief Carlos Roja citing a slight but encouraging downward trend in crime as the transit agency released statistics from the first third of 2018.

BART officers arrested 148 people for felony crimes and 410 for misdemeanors, compared to 127 and 390, respectively, during the same period last year.

Violent crime dropped 9 percent from January to April, despite a 26 percent jump in aggravated assaults.

Roja called it a step in the right direction after a 24 percent increase in violent crime in 2017, driven by robberies of electronic devices.

Public criticism has intensified over overt drug use in BART corridors.

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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com