New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced that more police officers will patrol the subway system, with the state helping to pay for overtime shifts by about 1,200 additional cops per day, Gothamist reports. "What we're announcing here today is a beefing up of the police presence on the subway platforms and cars,” Hochul said. She added that transit police officers will patrol major commuter railroad hubs like Penn Station and Grand Central, making the NYPD officers who normally patrol those stations available to be deployed on trains and at other stations. The plan is that officers will patrol trains and stations at peak hours. And they’ll be posted at turnstiles, along with a squad of unarmed security guards, to crack down on fare evasion.
The announcement is the latest in moves by city and state officials to make the subway system feel safer. Earlier this year, the city cracked down on people sleeping in the subway system and put additional police officers on subway patrols, giving them a clear mandate to enforce the MTA’s rules of conduct. And in September, Hochul announced that the transit agency would install security cameras in every subway car. So far in 2022, there have been nine homicides in the subway system, Hochul and Adams said, some of which have been committed by people living with severe, untreated mental illnesses. In general, though, most people with mental illness do not commit violent crimes. The subway crimes have contributed to political charges by Hochul's Republican opponent, Rep. Lee Zeldin, that Democratic policies have fueled violence in New York City and elsewhere.