The MTA’s survey shows, as of October, straphangers feel somewhat safer than they did in June — six on a scale of one to 10.

New NYPD numbers show overall crime is down year-to-date, as of November, by 2.5%.


What You Need To Know

  • The first crime caught on a subway car camera helped lead to an arrest

  • Assaults are up almost 5%, while overall crime is down 2.5%, according to data

  • NYPD transit chief says crime committed by repeat offenders

NYPD Transit Chief Michael Kemper said his officers are out there doing the job.

“We have upwards of over a thousand additional cops deployed in uniform each day in the New York City subway system,” Kemper said. “Progress is being made. Are we waving a flag of victory? No."

Violent crime has been increasing since September and is up nearly 5% over last year, despite arrests being up about 50% year-to-date.

Kemper said the problem is many of those being cuffed are the same people.

“Not everyone deserves jail. We recognize that,” he said. “But when we’re arresting people dozens of times, we arrest people sometimes over a hundred times. At some point, there needs to be consequences.”

Contributing to November’s assault numbers, a shooting aboard a C train near the Ralph Avenue station Nov. 28, where two people were hit. The suspect, Alexander Villafana, was arrested last week.

“Our onboard cameras caught the very first crime on camera a few weeks back and it led to an arrest,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey, referring to Villafana’s arrest. “I said it once, I’ll say it again, we have more cameras in a Las Vegas casino in NYC transit, and we’re going to expand it even more.”

Davey said they expect to have cameras in every subway car by the end of next year and hope it not only helps catch suspects, but deters people from committing a crime.