NYC set to bolster police presence in the subway system in effort to crack down on transit crime
New York City is adding 30,000 new police officers to the area’s transit system in an attempt to curb subway crimes that have been plaguing the city for decades.
The move makes the transit system “the most heavily-subwayized area in the U.S.,” according to a report by the NYPD’s Transit Action Program that has been circulating since December. The program said that police presence is critical to the success of the transit force, which has been hampered by staffing issues and budget cuts. The police can be seen at the Queens Midtown Tunnel in Midtown Manhattan, where they are expected to patrol the entrance.
The announcement comes as a result of a public safety commission’s meeting Tuesday afternoon, where Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told the commission the goal is to “crack down on crime.” The NYPD said it is not aware of any other transit systems in the U.S. that have such a high level of police presence.
It’s the second largest increase in the NYPD’s transit force. The officers are currently stationed at four stations, which include the Jamaica Center station on the Lower East Side, the Broadway-Seventh Avenue station on the Upper West Side and the Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station on the Bronx-New Rochelle line.
“This is an historic commitment by the Metropolitan Transit Authority to do its part to protect and serve New Yorkers and New Yorkers’ businesses in the most heavily subwayized area in the U.S.,” said Transit Action Programs director John McCarthy.
The program said the New York City Transit Authority, the New York City Police Department and the U.S. attorney’s office have requested 1,550 extra police officers to be added to the transit agency. There will also be a staff of nearly 400 transit officers working on foot patrol in the subway system, using their discretion during rush hour, to make sure that buses are moving in a safe fashion, the program said.
At the same time