BART police chief to retire next month

OAKLAND — BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez will retire next month, ending more than a quarter-century with the department and his last four years as its top cop. When Alvarez steps down on May 1, BART Police Deputy Chief Kevin Franklin will serve as interim chief. Franklin, who serves as the police department’s operations chief, previously managed its security operations from 2011 to 2018 and worked as an instructor in many department training programs. Alvarez, who served as interim chief in April 2019 before taking the job in January 2020, expressed his appreciation for the department’s efforts. “It’s been the…