Top cop Bill Bratton insisted today that the rash of subway slashings is an “aberration” — and that straphangers’ fears are fueled by the media coverage.
“A couple of weeks ago we were talking about rapes, as a result of that alleged playground rape of that young woman by the five young men in Brooklyn,” the top cop said on The John Gambling Show on AM 970.
“Before that it was shootings. And before that it was murders. This is New York. Occasionally media and the police get focused on a series of incidents and that’s what is happening here,” he continued.
There have been seven slashings in the city’s subway system since the beginning of the year, up from three during the same period of time last year.
Bratton said passengers should be “mindful of their surroundings,” but not afraid.
“I’m quite comfortable that this increase in slashings that we saw on the subway and in fact a small increase in the city overall, is an aberration,” he explained. “We’ll deal with it, and as we go forward in the year those numbers will decline.”
Bratton added that subway thefts have been a persistent and significant problem. About 50 percent of them occur when passengers are sleeping, “so part of it is the idea of encourage people to stay awake on the subway,” he said.
But many of these criminals are recidivist offenders, and Bratton said he’s exploring ways to ban the worst of the worst from using the subway as part of their parole.
“Some of these people have been around 20 or 30 years and have been arrested hundreds of times by us,” he said. “We are looking actively and have discussions begun with the MTA and it may ultimately require potentially some legislation up in Albany.”