NYC Increases Police in Subways to Combat Crime - The New York Times

After a bid of convulsive deaths connected the subway raised concerns astir information successful New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams connected Saturday announced a program to summation the beingness of constabulary officers successful the transit system.

Ms. Hochul, a Democrat who is little than 3 weeks from Election Day, said the authorities would assistance the metropolis wage for an further 1,200 overtime shifts per time for constabulary officers to patrol the subway to support New Yorkers safe, on with continuing to instal cameras wrong bid cars.

Ms. Hochul said that galore New Yorkers were acrophobic astir transgression connected the subway and that she would “focus connected getting that consciousness of information back.”

The plan, announced astatine a associated quality league astatine Grand Central Station successful Manhattan, was the latest successful a bid of efforts to code subway unit — a stubborn occupation that grew worse during the pandemic and that has been hard for elected officials to address. Shortly aft Mr. Adams took bureau successful January, helium and Ms. Hochul held a akin lawsuit to announce a program to summation constabulary patrols.

But the unit has persisted. There person been 9 murders connected the subway this twelvemonth — a level that is much higher than successful the 5 years earlier the pandemic, erstwhile determination were, connected average, astir 2 murders per year.

A antheral was precocious killed by a subway bid successful Queens aft falling onto the tracks during a combat connected the level astatine unreserved hour, and a 15-year-old lad was changeable and killed connected the subway successful Queens. Another antheral was fatally stabbed portion riding a bid successful Brooklyn past month, and a homeless antheral was arrested for the murder.

Mr. Adams noted that 40 percent of the murders were believed to person been committed by radical with a past of intelligence wellness problems.

Mr. Adams, a erstwhile transit constabulary serviceman and a Democrat who ran for politician connected a nationalist information message, has delivered conflicting messages connected crime. He said successful May that helium had “never witnessed transgression astatine this level,” adjacent though it is overmuch little present than it was successful the 1990s. But helium has besides argued that helium is bringing down immoderate types of transgression and has blamed the media for fueling panic, prompting a New York Post screen connected Friday showing Mr. Adams riding a unicorn and surviving successful a “fantasy land.”

“If New Yorkers don’t consciousness safe, we are failing,” Mr. Adams said connected Saturday, adding that the extremity of the caller program was “the omnipresence of constabulary officers and the removal of those who are dealing with intelligence wellness issues.”

Ms. Hochul, for her part, is facing a stronger-than-expected situation from Representative Lee Zeldin, the Republican campaigner for governor, arsenic she runs for her archetypal afloat term. Two caller polls showed Ms. Hochul’s pb implicit Mr. Zeldin shrinking.

Ms. Hochul provided a caller slogan for the subway plan: “Cops, Cameras and Care.” She said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state-run transit agency, had already installed much than 200 cameras connected subway trains pursuing her announcement past period that officials would instal 2 information cameras connected each car. She said that the authorities would marque a “significant investment” from a authorities nationalist exigency money to wage for the overtime shifts.

The politician besides said the authorities would acceptable up 2 caller units astatine psychiatric centers, including 50 inpatient beds, to assistance those with superior intelligence illnesses. And she said that the M.T.A. police, a abstracted force, would beryllium deployed into subway stations astatine 4 large commuter railroad hubs, including Penn Station and Grand Central Station.

The caput of the city’s large constabulary national instantly criticized the subway information program and said that it was unsustainable to support asking constabulary officers to enactment much overtime shifts, particularly erstwhile galore officers had near the department.

“The accrued workload is crushing the cops who remain,” Patrick J. Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, said successful a statement. “The reply is not to compression them for much forced OT.”

Mr. Lynch called alternatively for wage increases and amended moving conditions to clasp officers. He said the thought of omnipresence was an “illusion.”

Mr. Adams endorsed Ms. Hochul for governor, and they person established a amended moving narration than their predecessors, erstwhile Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and erstwhile Mayor Bill de Blasio, who perpetually fought successful public. But Mr. Adams has pushed Ms. Hochul to marque changes to bail reform to marque it easier to support radical successful jail, providing a talking constituent for Mr. Zeldin.

Robert F. Holden, a Democratic City Councilman from Queens who endorsed Mr. Zeldin, said connected Saturday that having much officers connected the subway would not assistance trim transgression if lawmakers did not besides hole bail reform.

“This is invited news, but without changing laws, these further cops volition lone beryllium rearresting the aforesaid people,” helium said. “Gov. Kathy Hochul indispensable telephone an exigency league of the State Legislature and repeal bail reform.”

When authorities and metropolis officials were asked connected Saturday astir whether having officers connected subway platforms would really trim violence, the city’s constabulary commissioner, Keechant Sewell, said that it could assistance successful immoderate cases oregon pb to the speedy apprehension of an offender.

In January, erstwhile Michelle Go, 40, was killed aft being pushed successful beforehand of a bid astatine the Times Square station, transit officials said determination had been six officers assigned to the station, including 2 who were successful the country wherever Ms. Go was pushed.

When Mr. Adams was asked connected Saturday astir stateless radical who consciousness safer connected the subway than successful the structure system, helium said the metropolis would not “allow radical who are a information to themselves and others to locomotion our streets.”

“If you are schizophrenic, if you are bipolar, if you are walking the subway strategy with nary garment connected successful 20-degree weather, nary shoes on, yelling astatine yourself,” helium said, “how bash you marque that determination that I consciousness amended astir being successful the subway system?”

Karen Zraick contributed reporting.