Photo: Alamy
Security in New York’s subway system has increased over the last week after New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of National Guard troops to help curb the recent crime wave in the city’s transit system.
Fox News was on the ground on March 11 to provide viewers with a visual of what New Yorkers were experiencing during their daily commute. Armed soldiers and state police were seen standing behind the correspondent.
According to the New York Post, the NYPD’s recently released crime statistics for January and February showed an 18.3 percent average increase in subway crime from last year during the same period. Included in the statistics was a 22 percent surge in grand larcenies, a 17 percent uptick in felony assaults, and a 12 percent increase in robberies.
Hochul announced her “five-point plan,” which includes 750 National Guardsmen and 250 state police officers posted in “the city’s busiest transit stations” to conduct bag checks and deter potential offenders.
Just days after issuing the directive, Hochul banned the guardsmen from carrying “long guns” while conducting bag checks. However, others patrolling certain areas of the subway system will still carry them.
The New York Post asked several commuters on March 10 what they thought about the presence of the National Guard, with most responding positively. Some expressed concern about the guardsmen’s firearms, but the overall response was that they felt safer.
Hochul’s plan also includes legislation allowing judges to ban transit assault offenders from city buses and trains. New York law already prohibits offenders from using public transportation if they have been convicted of subway sexual assault or assault on Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers.
In addition, Hochul’s plan will equip train cars and conductor cabins with CCTV cameras and improve the NYPD’s coordination with local district attorneys to prevent offender recidivism. She also earmarked $20 million for mental health services for subway offenders.
