It was in late October that Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced a plan to increase police presence in the subways. Barely seven weeks later, the NYPD says the move has already begun to turn things around.
“The last five weeks in the subway system, the transit bureau has reduced crime — five consecutive weeks,” said Michael Kemper, acting chief of the NYPD’s transit bureau.
Both police and transit officials defended their crime-fighting efforts at a City Council hearing Monday. But councilmembers voiced skepticism, especially when it came to the focus on fare-beating and other minor crimes as a way to win back rider confidence.
What You Need To Know
- NYPD officials told City Councilmembers Monday they’ve reduced subway crime five straight weeks following a surge in police presence
- The MTA came under fire for its move to hire more than 200 private guards to monitor turnstiles and emergency exit gates
- The agency says the private guards cost $1 million per month, but in some cases save money by cutting down on fare beating and vandalism
- Councilmembers voiced skepticism about the focus on fare-beating and other minor crimes
If riders “see someone smoking, if they see someone drinking, if they see someone evading a fare, that begins to erode their confidence in the system,” said Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit.
Queens City Councilmember Tiffany Caban was unconvinced. “That sounds like regurgitated broken windows policing that has been debunked by four decades’ worth of research and data,” she said.
The MTA is also adding more subway cameras and, in order to improve the customer experience, has directed station agents to spend most of their time outside the booth.
But it was the issue of fare-beating that proved the most contentious Monday. The MTA has hired more than 200 private guards to watch over turnstiles and emergency exit gates.
“I just don’t see this widespread fare evasion happening at every turn,” said City Councilmember Lincoln Restler of Brooklyn. “So I think it is a overstated concern.”
Police officials took a different view.
“It’s a free for all,” Kemper said. “A lot of people aren’t paying. I was in full uniform, and people were going through the turnstile without paying. People were asking me to help them go through without paying, hold the door for them. And giving me attitude when I closed the door.”
As for the MTA’s private security force, which can’t make arrests or issue summonses, officials put the cost at $1 million a month. But they say the guards in some cases save the agency money but cutting down on both fare beating and vandalism.
“A million a month?” asked City Councilmember Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn. “This is a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
“I respectfully disagree,” Davey replied. “But I appreciate your opinion.”