Thumbs down: Do law-breaking teens deserve privacy?

Riders boarding a BART train Saturday evening were left rattled - and in some cases injured - when a large pack of juveniles stormed a car, robbing passengers of their hand bags and cellphones, according to the transit agency. At least two people were injured in the attack, which involved an estimated 40 to 60 juveniles at the Coliseum Station in Oakland.

BART Police, citing witnesses, say the juveniles jumped the fare gates around 9:30 p.m. and rushed to the second-floor platform where they commandeered a train car, committing at least seven strong-arm robberies of bags and cellphones.

By the time BART police arrived, the teens had fled into the surrounding neighborhood.

In most cases like this, police would be releasing security camera recordings to seek the public’s help in identifying the culprits. But not this time. BART says it will not be releasing the video because the suspects are all juveniles.

Really? We certainly understand and generally support decisions by law enforcement agencies to withhold recordings of juveniles when they are victims of crime such as sexual assault. But in refusing to release this video, BART police are only helping criminals avoid detection. The rights of the victims to have their belongs returned and to see the culprits arrested should take precedence over any presumption of privacy for criminals - regardless of their age.