For those of you who say, “I never see a cop on BART,” think again — because on any given day, more than 4,000 law enforcement officers are authorized to ride the trains for free, as long as they can carry a gun.

According to BART records, the financially strapped transit agency has handed out free annual passes to 4,013 police officers, district attorney’s investigators and probation officers from San Francisco, Contra Costa, Alameda and San Mateo counties.

California Highway Patrol officers, state parole and Department of Justice agents, and federal customs and Border Protection inspectors were given the free rides for a year as well.

In fact, those taking advantage of the law enforcement perk exceed the 3,624 BART employees who annually ride the system without charge.

Thousands of BART employees’ spouses and dependents also get the deal, as do retirees and their families and some contractors — although officials could not immediately provide us with an exact tally. BART’s nine board members and their dependents are eligible as well.

The law enforcement officer freebie dates to 1974 and was originally meant to improve security on BART.

Initially, law enforcement officers only had to flash their badges to gain entry to the system and few, if any records, were kept.

In 2012, in an attempt to crack down on fare evasion that was said to be costing BART millions of dollars a year, transit agency directors voted to implement smart-card technology and tighten the rules.

“There was ... abuse of the system, and it went undetected for decades,” said BART director John McPartland, a former firefighter and retired BART safety worker. He said the capper came when “there was a law enforcement convention (in the Bay Area), and word went out you could ride for free.”

So under current guidelines, participants must be a “full-time, sworn officer in an authorized Bay Area law enforcement agency” within BART’s jurisdiction.

Officers must also be licensed to carry a gun when off duty — though transit agency officials tell us there is nothing that requires the cops to have their sidearms while riding on BART.

Those who sign up must renew their passes annually in person, with a $35 processing fee.

However, an investigation by BART found that the program has not always followed its own rules.

The problem was recently discovered by happenstance when a San Francisco probation officer went to renew her annual pass, and a BART worker noticed her ID card didn’t show her as eligible to carry a gun.

When BART police checked their records, they realized free passes had been given out to another 145 San Francisco probation officers — none of them eligible to pack off-duty.

BART has since notified San Francisco’s probation department that those officers won’t have their passes renewed at the end of the year. Probation officials did not return our call seeking comment.

“The free ride is over,” said BART spokesman Jim Allison.

BART is conducting an internal audit to determine whether other agencies have ineligible officers getting the perk, Allison said.

Of course, BART has been experiencing a crime spike this year — robberies were up 35 percent in the first six months and assaults jumped 27 percent. And there have been a couple of well-publicized mass attacks on riders. But evidence that the free ride program makes riders safer is sketchy at best.

Allison cited a single incident from Feb. 11, 2013, when an off-duty police sergeant chased down a suspected purse-snatcher aboard a train and held her until BART police showed up.

The hero cop, however, was with the San Jose Police Department — which isn’t included in BART’s free pass program.

Clawing for dollars: Forget the rubber chicken — Oakland City Councilman Abel Guillén is breaking new ground when it comes to dining for dollars.

In place of the usual tasteless poultry dish, Guillén is offering supporters a “lobster feed” to go along with the speechifying at a Sept. 9 fundraiser.

It’s being co-hosted by local unions, including firefighters, Teamsters and food workers, with tickets going for $125 to $1,500 a head. Guillén says it will help him fight “to ensure that all Oakland residents can share in the benefits of our economic prosperity.”

Pass the melted butter.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX-TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross