BART welcomes first Latino Chief of Police Carlos Rojas

Written by Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor
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Santa Ana Police Dept.

Carlos Rojas has been named chief of police for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

Rojas brings 27 years of extensive experience and leadership in community policing. Rojas comes to BART from the Santa Ana Police Department, where he served his last five years as chief. He is an advocate and educator in community oriented policing practices, having taught the practices to national police forces in Central America and mentored college students.

“The police department has been moving in the right direction, and I am confident that our new chief will accelerate our efforts to increase the visibility of police officers on our trains and in our stations,” said BART General Manager Grace Crunican. “I have asked the new chief to focus attention on our police recruitment practices to ensure the department is able to hire a full complement of officers.”

Rojas is a recipient of multiple law enforcement Medals of Valor, and is bilingual in English and Spanish. He holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Chapman University, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Long Beach, with additional professional training at the FBI National Academy. He is BART’s first Latino Chief of Police.

BART’s offer is contingent upon Rojas’ successful completion of psychological exams and a satisfactory background check, which could take up to 30 days to complete. His start date is still to be determined but will likely be sometime in late May or early June.

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