SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — There are questions about the effectiveness of BART’s new cameras, as on the same day BART finished installing cameras on all its trains, a rider was attacked.

But BART says it will not release the surveillance video to the public leaving some to wonder–what’s the point of cameras?

KRON4 talked to a man who was the victim of a crime on BART. Surveillance video was never released for that crime either.

Rusty Stapp says he wants the video of the latest attack released, so that police can get some help in catching the suspects. He added that he thinks BART isn’t releasing the footage because it is more worried about bad publicity than catching the bad guys.

On Wednesday, four teens attacked and robbed a passenger on a train.

BART says it’s reviewing the surveillance footage but won’t release it because the suspects are minors.

Something similar happened to Stapp.

He was attacked by a mob on BART back in April.

“They’ve never released the video of the night of our attack, and not releasing the video this week, I think just proves they’re more worried about what the public outcry would be on an incident like than actually catching the criminals,” Stapp said. “I don’t think it’s a deterrent. People can still come and go as they please. There’s nothing stopping them from entering the station and performing these crimes. The only thing you can hope is the cameras provide evidence so that you can go and convict some people so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Stapp was punched in the head and kicked in the ribs during his attack at the Coliseum Station in Oakland.

He says the incident has changed his life.

“My family and I are still going through it,” Stapp said. “It resets how you can interact in public. We have trouble going out in crowded places and crowded streets.”

Stapp and other riders have long been demanding that BART steps up security at its stations.

“I’d like to see a better presence on the platforms at a minimum of BART police,” Stapp said. “I think that is on some level a deterrent.”

Other riders KRON4 spoke to also say that BART should release the video.

A BART spokesperson told KRON4 they won’t be doing that because this is an active investigation and because the suspects are minors.

That is the same reason BART says it won’t release video of the crime involving Rusty Stapp.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

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