(Bloomberg) -- New York Governor Kathy Hochul is deploying 750 National Guard officers into New York City’s subway system after a rash of violent incidents has reignited fresh concerns about safety on the biggest US transit network.
Hochul will send a combined 1,000 safety officers to the subways: the 750 National Guard officers along with 250 personnel from state and Metropolitan Transportation Authority transit police forces, the governor announced Wednesday. The National Guard members will conduct random bag checks on passengers, and plans are underway to install more safety cameras, she said.
The move comes amid a series of high-profile shootings just two months into the year that has shaken mass-transit riders. A man was fatally shot in January on a 3 line subway train in Brooklyn after trying to subdue a dispute over loud music. Another man was shot and killed on the 4 train in the Bronx on Feb. 12 when an argument between two groups of teenagers turned violent. Most recently, a man was killed on the morning of Feb. 23 on a D train in the Bronx over a dispute with other riders.
“Anyone looking to do harm or spread fear on our subways, you’ll be caught,” Hochul said at a briefing in Manhattan. “Plain and simple, there will be consequences. This has to end. New Yorkers deserve no less. And to those who are feeling anxious whenever they walk through those turnstiles, we will stop at nothing to keep you safe, you and your family members, and restore your peace of mind.”
Hochul is also seeking to amend legislation “in a matter of weeks” to allow courts to ban those convicted of violent crimes on subways and buses from using the public transportation system. She will also direct an additional $20 million to increase mental health teams working on the subways to help direct those suffering from mental health issues into facilities.
Repeat offenders plague the city’s subway system, MTA officials have said. The governor’s plan includes the transit agency, district attorneys and the New York Police Department communicating regularly and early on in the arrests of repeat suspects to better establish appropriate charges and bail levels.
“I want DAs to have all the background and information they need to make a strong case before a judge in court,” Hochul said.
More Cameras
The governor is also directing the MTA to install more cameras throughout the subways, including in conductor train cars.
Overall crime on New York City’s transit system is up 13% this year through March 3 compared with the same period in 2023, according to NYPD crime data. After the jump in reported incidents in January, Mayor Eric Adams sent 1,000 additional uniformed police officers into the system at the start of February. That helped decrease overall crime in February by nearly 32% over the prior month, according to NYPD data.
Transit workers have also been victims of random attacks. A veteran subway conductor was slashed in the neck last Thursday and required 34 stitches. A subway station agent was attacked last month when an individual punched her, breaking her eye socket, after she tried to wake him.
“We want riders to actually be safe based on the numbers, but you have to feel safe in the system because I know how it plays on your psyche when you hear about some random acts of violence, and that’s why we must be proactive to prevent those acts of violence,” Adams said Wednesday in an interview on CBS News New York.
Hochul said she chose to use state resources rather than pay for NYPD overtime to beef up transit patrols.
“I’m going to be responding to many, many needs of the mayor and the city of New York in our budget,” Hochul said. “And so I said, ‘I can do something more immediate that a budget request, I can give you bodies right now.’ And I think that actually puts us ahead of the game.”
(Updates with crime statistics, comment from mayor, additional comment from governor)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
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