New York Police Department (NYPD) officers have taken on a new strategy for “deterring criminal activity” on the city’s subway: dressing up as mechanics, subway employees or even delivery workers to catch would-be criminals off guard. Since mid-June, several photos and videos shared online document the new tactic, which our Observer says represents a tendency towards “predatory policing” and puts real workers in danger.
A video of two NYPD officers wearing “plainclothes” in a subway station has garnered more than 220,000 views on TikTok. The man who took the video explained in the caption that he was “wrongfully arrested” at the Broadway Junction subway station on June 17, 2022.
