The Rapid Intervention and Deterrence for Enhanced Rider Safety Act, or the RIDER Safety Act, is a newly introduced federal bill that would “allow transit agencies across the country to tap federal crime prevention funds to pay for ‘transit support specialists’ rather than exclusively law enforcement officers,” according to the Berkeleyside, a local nonprofit news organization. Cited in the article is a study from the Center for Policing Equity that found Black and Brown people face increased risks compared to White people during police encounters on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). Legislation like the RIDER Safety Act is important for reducing the harms experienced by marginalized communities in public transit:
A body of research has established the deleterious effects of police encounters with people of color, especially Black people, so any program that seeks to reduce the number of these encounters is likely to reduce such negative outcomes. A report last year from the Center for Policing Equity, a Yale nonprofit research center, found that BART’s own police officers and other fare enforcement operations were having a detrimental effect on Black and Brown and low-income riders, by making them feel less safe.
Read the full article here.