NYC subway crime is up this year, even though ridership is still down. In April, 98 violent felonies occurred on the subways, up from 66 in April 2019.
In an effort to decrease crime by having more transit police officers on patrol in the NYC subway system, Major Eric Adams rolled out a plan on Tuesday to have solo officers in areas where the need is the greatest. Within a day of initiating the plan, an officer patrolling alone was assaulted.
The city now says it will always have two transit police officers in sight of each other and to riders.
Adams is still pushing for cops to be spread out, as opposed to congregating together, which is often the case at big gatherings, like parades or demonstrations, in the city. Police unions feel it places greater risk to the officers, and are against the idea.
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association president, Patrick Lynch, reportedly spoke with Mayor Adams after the Brooklyn attack, about the danger to police officers patrolling alone. Mayor Adams reassured him that transit police officers will have backup of at least one other officer.
One might ask the question, why is a homeless man with a history of attacking police officers, loitering on a NYC subway platform?