Subway crime seemed out of control in January of this year, when the transit system saw more than 200 major felonies — including several deadly shootings — in the first month of 2024.
But since then, police brass said, major crimes have plummeted in the subway system — thanks to a surge of additional officers underground and a renewed focus on fare evasion that led to hundreds of weapons being seized.
NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper rode the subway with amNewYork Metro and reviewed the progress made in the system, saying that crime has dropped 6% so far in 2024. According to Kemper, that translates to about 60 less major crimes in the subway when compared to the same time in 2023.
Kemper attributed the turnaround since January to the surge of about 1,000 extra cops that put officers underground in the first week of February — and has remained in place ever since.
“There is no conversation of removing that,” Kemper told amNewYork Metro. “The men and women of the NYPD have just stepped up and are working their butts off.”
Weapons recovered
Since the January crime spike, the NYPD stepped up its efforts to crack down on fare evaders who enter the transit system by either hopping the turnstiles or rushing through the emergency exit.
Kemper maintains that while the majority of riders caught for fare evasion are either given a fine or let off with a warning, the NYPD has nonetheless apprehended some of the Big Apple’s most dangerous criminals with active warrants via this effort.
“We’re hyper-focused on fare evasion,” Kemper began. “I can’t tell you how many people that were stopped for fare evasion that are wanted on some really serious crimes. People wanted for murder; people wanted for sex crimes such as rape; people in possession of loaded guns, a lot of people. Every person that we stop for fare evasion that has a gun on them, that’s a huge, huge win.”
Between Jan. 1 and June 16, according to NYPD statistics, cops have made 33 gun arrests in transit — up from 18 in 2023, an 83% increase. A staggering 942 people have also been cuffed through June 16 of this year for bringing knives into the subway, nearly double the 599 knife-wielding perps stopped last year.
Assaults in the transit system are also down about 1%; Kemper said this is one of the more difficult crimes to reduce given the many disputes on crowded subway trains. However, most of the assaults have involved attacks on police officers — which are also up aboveground, the chief said.
“It’s a combination of more enforcement, more aggressive policing by our cops, which is definitely needed. And, you know, let’s call it what it is: There are people that are emboldened when they’re arrested 15-20 times, and you’re back out with no consequences,” Kemper said.
Brushing back criticism
While the NYPD is touting the success of an increased police presence and action taken at the turnstiles, opponents charged that cops target riders who cannot afford the fare, as well as Black and Brown commuters from low-income neighborhoods.
Data released in 2023 showed that about 66% of people given fare evasion summonses in the fourth quarter were Black and Latino, according to the NYPD’s data; those groups compose 52.3% of the city’s population, according to US Census data.
But Kemper maintains race and economic status have nothing to do with the NYPD’s “hyper-focused” fare evasion efforts.
“I have been crystal clear on this in the past, I’ll be crystal clear on it right now: We don’t police based on any sort of race, demographic, sex; we police based on crimes or offenses that we see in front of us,” Kemper told amNewYork Metro.
Others have criticized the NYPD and the Adams Administration for spending millions in overtime costs to cover the extra deployments. During a City Council hearing in March, NYPD brass revealed that in 2023 over $100 million was spent on the overtime budget due to the influx of officers deployed in subways and ongoing protests.
To Kemper, the issue of keeping the subways safe is more than just dollars and cents.
“You talk to the families of the people who are saved by our cops while on overtime. You talk to them and see if it was worth it,” Kemper said. “They save people’s lives who have fallen on the train tracks by accident with medical episodes, or cops coming up on people in the midst of cardiac arrest. Cops taking kids off the top of train from subway surfing, I can go on and on. Talk to those families and ask them if this is too expensive for them.”
How do the riders feel?
amNewYork Metro asked the riders themselves their thoughts on the increased police presence and how it makes them feel.
Josh Reed from Westchester says he often rides the 4 and 5 lines from Grand Central Station with his young daughter and he has noticed an uptick in cops throughout his commute, something that makes him feel safer.
“I see them checking bags at Grand Central when I get on to the 4 or 5 [train] right there and I have ridden the train with police officers several times,” Reed said.
While safety is paramount for Herminio from Lower Manhattan, he also believes that cops can sometimes be too aggressive with their enforcement.
“I feel good that they keep an eye on the criminals, but I know that sometimes they can be aggressive,” Herminio said.
For Kemper, the NYPD is looking to build on the success to drive crime down even further during the second half of 2024.
“Make no mistake about it, we clearly recognize there’s a lot of work to be done. One crime is one too many,” Kemper said.
