NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams took a Friday victory lap as the pair rolled out new subway crime statistics showing significant drop-offs across the last three months.
The two officials, after rolling out plans in October for a surge of police in the subways, cited a 28% drop off in robberies and a 16% reduction in overall crime, with a rate of 1.7 major crimes per 1 million straphangers so far in 2023 — the lowest figure since the pandemic hit the city.
“That is an amazing turnaround,” said Hochul, joined by the mayor inside the Fulton Transit Center. “The data is showing us that New Yorkers feel safer ... We had to answer the question ‘Will I be safe?’ We have answered that with a resounding yes.”
At the height of the pandemic, police reported nearly three major crimes per 1 million riders. Both officials said the result of the new approach was New York straphangers riding the trains with an increased sense of security.
“Crime is actually the number and it’s how people feel,” said Adams. “We did not ignore what people were feeling. People felt unsafe in our system.”
The new program’s mental health component interacted with 650 mentally-ill people in the subways, Hochul added. And a November survey showed the number of train riders who felt safe or very safe was up 18% from the previous month.
“We’re trying to attract people to come back to the subways,” said Hochul. “And I want people to have the sense that if they need help, it’s there.”
Adams mentioned the importance of getting more police officers into the system for its 3.9 million daily riders, both on board the trains and standing on platforms across the boroughs.
“When I ride the trains, people are telling me, ‘Eric, we are seeing the police,’” said Adams. “We’re trending in the right direction ... Nothing makes you you feel better when you’re in the system than seeing that uniformed officer. That uniformed officer brings you a level of calmness.”
A spokesman for the governor said the state has committed $62 million for New York Police Department overtime, but it was unclear how much was already spent on the initiative. New York state was in the process of reimbursing the overtime costs as the city incurs them, and Adams said the money was not a major concern.
“I want to be clear: There is no price tag on public safety,” said Adams. “The subway is the lifeblood of our city. If people don’t utilize this system, it will impact business, it will impact tourism ... and it will cripple our economy.”
The mayor joined the governor last October to announce plans for an additional 1,200 overtime police shifts in the subway system. The MTA also announced plans for unarmed guards at certain subway stops to focus on fare-beaters, while the “Cops, Cameras and Care” initiative was rolled out.
NYPD Chief of Transportation Micheal Kempner said the results “were swift and significant” with the increased police presence, new inpatient units at two psychiatric centers to treat the homeless and a move to put cameras in every subway car.
“The turnaround began immediately and it continues today,” he said.
