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NYPD Accuses MTA Of “Fear Mongering” Over Current Level Of Subway Crime
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Apr 22, 2021
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Bebeto Matthews/AP/Shutterstock
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Apr 22, 2021
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The MTA worries that the threat of harassment, the presence of mentally ill and homeless people, and the perception that the subway is dangerous is keeping customers from returning to the system in greater numbers as the city’s COVID-19 outbreak continues to gradually diminish. The NYPD, however, believes the subways have never been safer.
They’re both right, depending on how you look at it.
Major felony crimes in the subway are down 53% this year compared to last year, according to the NYPD. There were however nine more felony assaults, for a total of 119 so far this year, compared to 110 during the same time period last year, the NYPD says. And the perception of riders, that crime remains a persistent problem, is not captured in police crime statistics.
The MTA continues to ask for more NYPD officers to patrol the subways, citing a recent survey that found 76% of riders feel safer seeing police in the subways.
The NYPD insists the subways don’t need more officers.
At the MTA’s monthly board meeting on Wednesday, Chief Safety Officer Pat Warren said that the same customer survey found 87% of 33,000 respondents said crime and harassment would influence their decision whether to ride the subways in the future.
“The significant number of felony and misdemeanor assaults this year are unacceptable and contribute to the sense of insecurity,” Warren said.
But the NYPD’s Transit Chief Kathleen O’Reilly rejected this.
“What will hinder riders' confidence is continued fear mongering,” O’Reilly said Wednesday. “It’s a disservice to New Yorkers to advance a narrative that crime is soaring in the subways when it’s simply not the case.”
O’Relly noted that last week was the second safest week in history, with just 15 transit crimes reported.
But factoring in the drop in ridership for the past year, comparing the raw numbers doesn’t portray the full picture.
While the MTA hit a recent high of 2 million subway riders, it’s still a far way off from the 6 million daily pre-pandemic riders.
Looking at major felonies in the subway and taking into account the number of riders in the system, the MTA’s stats show .23 felony crimes per 100,000 riders so far this year, up from .12 per 100,000 riders last year.
Those numbers take into account crimes like murder, rape, grand larceny, robbery, burgalary and felony assault. Other crimes, like harassment, are not always documented.
Many Asian New Yorkers remain fearful for their safety while riding the subway. There have been 7 hate crimes reported in the subway against Asian New Yorkers so far this year, compared to none reported in 2020, according to NYPD.
READ MORE: As Ridership Ticks Up On Subways, Some Asian New Yorkers Still Fear For Their Safety
MTA employees, meanwhile, were harassed 457 times so far this year, and assaulted 124 times. The Transport Workers Union and the city’s district attorneys are urging state legislators to make spitting on transit workers a felony crime.
Interim New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg thinks the next three to six months are crucial for bringing lapsed subway riders back, and wants riders to feel and be safe.
“If you’ve been out of the system for a year and your first experience in the system is one that scares you or one that makes you feel like, ‘You know what I’m going to stick to the car for the next six months I’ll try it again in a year.’ That’s not what’s going to bring the city back and that’s not what’s going to bring the MTA back,” Feinberg said.
While the NYPD said it won’t increase the number of officers patrolling the subways, the MTA plans to use the recent federal relief money to continue to hire more MTA police officers, as approved last year by the board. It will also hire additional MTA police officers to make up for attrition over the past year. And the agency plans to install more than 1,000 CCTV security cameras throughout the subway system. Privacy advocates remain concerned about a surveillance expansion, and the possibility of running facial recognition software.
The MTA says it only monitors about half the cameras in real time, although the NYPD agrees with the transit agency that the video surveillance is very useful in helping solve crimes.
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Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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