San Francisco Area Transit to Get $21 Million to Boost Security

The California Governor’s Office of Homeland Security is giving out more than $21 million to San Francisco’s Bay Area transit agencies in an effort to boost mass transit security.

According to an article in the San Francisco Sentinel, the money will go to projects like advanced camera technology, lighting, fencing and communication technology to help both passengers and transit agency security personnel.

“The threat to transit systems is a fundamental challenge and is one of the reasons the governor, working with the Legislature, added security funding,'’ said Matthew Bettenhausen, California homeland security director, in a prepared statement.

Linton Johnson, a spokesman for Bay Area Rapid Transit, told the paper BART will focus its $5 million funding mainly on cameras, biological and radiological detection systems, more police dogs and better communication equipment.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will receive more than $7 million. “The safety and security of our customers and employees are our highest priorities,” said Nathaniel Ford, executive director of SFMTA, in a prepared statement. “I am very proud of the work done by our Operations and Security and Enforcement Divisions to ensure a safe and secure transit system.”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=13810