The head of the NYPD’s transit bureau says the crime and disorder in the subway system last year is now receding.

“We are encouraged,” NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Michael Kemper told NY1’s Ruschell Boone on “News All Day” Tuesday. “We’re making real real progress.”

After 2022 ended with more crime than the previous year, 2023 kicked off in the other direction, with subway crime down more than 21% so far this year, compared to the same period last year.

Part of that is due to the renewed crackdown on fare beating, Kemper said.

“Over 97% are released on the scene with a civil summons, nothing criminal,” Kemper said. “It’s the 2-3% of people that aren’t released with a civil summons, who you should be concerned about. Those are people who have active warrants for their arrest or are in possession of weapons.”

MTA board member David Jones, disagrees.

“They’ve made a causal connection between fare evasion and violent crime, which doesn’t hold any water,” he told NY1.

Jones has been critical of the way NYPD officers enforce fare rules, finding it concentrated in low-income neighborhoods.

Riders who beat the fare make up more than 13% of subway trips.

In January, arrests for fare evasion nearly quadrupled to 344, compared to the same month last year. The number of summonses issued for fare evasion jumped 85% to 10,545.

“It’s not to say I want people to fare evade. It’s not appropriate no matter where it is, but there’s a need for equity here,” Jones said. “If we’re gonna have a major push against fare evasion, it has to be in every part of the city of New York.”

Many MTA board members argue beating fare evasion needs to be a priority because turnstile jumpers cost the agency $500 million dollars a year in lost revenue.

Meanwhile, Kemper said the NYPD is also trying to address misdemeanor crimes such as assault that concern riders.

“We are up for the year, but there is encouraging data as well. When you look at the February numbers, misdemeanor assaults are down,” Kemper said.

What is helping the NYPD get a handle on subway crime? The state funding overtime shifts that lets the NYPD put an additional 1,200 officers to the subway each day since fall 2022.