Sergeant Steven Simmons and Ameed Ademolu, a registered nurse, spend hours walking up and down train platforms.

Their goal was to find people who need help — the most seriously mentally ill people who are using the subway as shelter.

They are part a partnership between the city and state called Street Conditions Observation Unit, also known as SCOUT. It is where MTA police and mental health professionals team up to hopefully get people care.

They are looking for the most serious cases, such as people who are a danger to themselves or others.

“We’re looking for a deterioration in mental health, physical health,” Simmons said. “We see them every day, every week. We monitor from the week before, and if they do fit that, if they’re a harm to themselves or others, we remove them. Or best-case scenario, they voluntarily go with us and take services and get the help they do need. But if they don’t want it and they don’t fit the criteria of danger to themselves or others, then unfortunately there’s nothing we can do.”

NY1 was able to tag along for an exclusive first look at what they can do.

Train by train, person by person, they searched for the neediest cases.

They convinced two people at the South Ferry station to accept services. Then they waited for about an hour to take them to shelter. And then finally moved on to the next station — Fulton Street.

They try to engage with individuals again. However, this time it’s not so successful.

“He told me, ‘Uh uh,’ and then he gave me the sign, ‘I don’t want to be bothered. I’m walking away,’” Ademolu said. “With that being said, even though he didn’t tell me verbally, he was able to give me nonverbal clues, and at that point, I had to back off.”

Since the program’s inception in the fall, the team has placed more than 100 people. Seventy-seven of them have gone to shelter, 20 have voluntarily gone to the hospital for medical care and 16 have been involuntarily sent to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

MTA officials say the involuntary aspect of the program is what makes it different.

“The goal is to get the most troubled, most troubling people out of the subway and into whatever the most appropriate care for them is,” MTA Special Counsel Jeremy Feigelson said. “If that means an involuntary psychiatric transport, we’re not going to hesitate to do that, and I think that’s what makes this outreach program different.”

So far, even in its infancy, officials say this program is working. They plan to expand it by up to ten teams by the end of next year.

NY1’s trip this week was described the same way.

“It was a fabulous day. We were able to place two guys and they both have significant cases,” Ademolu said. “It is very easy for the general public to judge them. And what we try to do is we try to stay away from a stereotypical impression and we try to address everyone with an open mindset and try to help them the best we can.”