New York City, state plan to make subway system safer with cops, cameras and care, leaders say
NEW YORK -- After a string of attacks in the subway system in just the past week, New York City and the state unveiled a new plan Saturday to fight crime on city transit.
It includes surging more officers throughout the system.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, the subway crime-fighting plan has three parts -- adding more cops, installing more cameras and placing those with mental health problems at psychiatric centers.
Expect to see more uniformed officers patrolling subways on moving trains. That's a promise from the MTA, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD in response to subway riders who are scared and fed up.
"It's tragic. It's tragic," one rider said.
"They could do a lot better," another rider said.
Better, according to Adams, means boosting presence with longer workdays for officers, adding 1,200 daily overtime shifts.
"That uniform means a lot. When people see the officer walking through the trains, when people see the officers on the platform," Adams said.
Watch the full announcement
The joint city/state initiative is called "Cops, Cameras, Care." It was announced by Hochul, the incumbent looking to hold on to her seat on Election Day in just over two weeks.
She is having the state-run MTA Police Department add officers to the biggest transit hubs to help make subways safer after high-profile crimes one after the other.
"Violent attacks, muggings, a 15-year-old boy losing his life to violence just a week ago, nine homicides in our subway so far this year, tragic losses of life," Hochul said.
Adding cameras means pushing for them on individual train cars.
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The third component of the plan, care, involves getting severely mentally ill people out of the system and into longer-term inpatient treatment.
"But if New Yorkers don't feel safe, we are failing," Adams said. "And that's why the omnipresence of police officers and the removal of those who are dealing with mental health issues is crucial."
Patrick Lynch, President of the Police Benevolent Association, emailed CBS2 a statement saying in part, "This is unsustainable ... The increased workload is crushing the cops who remain. The answer is not to squeeze them for more forced OT." He goes on to say, "Our city must immediately boost pay and improve working conditions in order to recruit and retain enough police officers. That is the only way to provide real safety in the subway, rather than the illusion of 'omnipresence.'"
Among those criticizing the plan for not going far enough is Hochul's Republican opponent in the gubernatorial race, Congressman Lee Zeldin.
"It's months late and it's many dollars short, and for the average New Yorker, they know what needs to get done to actually fix this and they're barely even scratching the surface," he said. "Why aren't you talking about repealing cashless bail? Why aren't you talking about DAs refusing to do their job?"
Some subway riders want long-term solutions but seem to like more cops and more cameras as places to start.
"I won't rest and the governor won't rest and our team won't rest until this system is a safe place for all who utilize the system," Adams said.
The mayor says the city will also target illegal encampments on the streets and get people experiencing homelessness into inpatient treatments.