NYPD working extended shifts after latest numbers show rise in subway crimes, Adams says
NEW YORK -- Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul are in a new "Battle of the Rails" as subway crime skyrockets, and the city wants state funds to put more cops on the trains and the platforms.
Longer shifts for NYPD officers
With New York City subway crimes on the rise this year, the mayor says NYPD officers will be working 12-hour shifts.
The mayor says the subway system is averaging about six felonies a day, and he wants to see those statistics improve. That's why he's implementing longer shifts for police officers.
According to the NYPD's latest CompStat report, transit crime rose 18% in the start of this year, compared to the same time last year with grand larcenies up 22% and felony assaults up 17%.
Adams said part of the challenge was losing funding for the city's Subway Safety Plan, which flooded the system with officers in 2022.
"The mayor and the police commissioner have expressed that they are concerned. These numbers are driving fear, and they're trying to go back to 12-hour tours, go back to flooding the subway, go back to higher visibility," explained CBS New York's Law Enforcement Contributor and former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Richard Esposito. "When I say 'go back,' that means all of these things stopped for a bit of time."
As a temporary solution, the mayor announced officers will begin 12-hour shifts to bolster visibility underground, while his administration works with the Transit Authority and governor's office to see if he can get more financial support.
"We want officers walking through the trains, being at the platforms, being near the token booth and identifying where the crime is actually taking place," Adams said. "We're seeing a substantial amount of that crime taking place on our subways."
"There's a lot of things that go on on the train, and I feel if there's more real visible officers, it will probably minimalize," said one subway rider.
Watch Christina Fan's report
Crime has been at the forefront of many people's minds after several MTA workers were recently attacked. Noreen Mallory, a 58-year-old customer service agent, has a fractured eye socket after being attacked last Wednesday at the Wall Street station.
"The issue of safety has to be made a priority," she said.
In a different effort to improve conditions underground, the MTA is adding LED lighting to four subways stations. Officials say riders should notice changes to platforms, mezzanines and staircases. The brighter lights will also help the hundreds of thousands of cameras the MTA has to capture better images, if crime occurs.
All stations are scheduled to change over to the LED lighting by 2026.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's response to rise in subway crime
The last time subway crime skyrocketed, Hochul was front and center with a pocketful of cash so that more men and women in blue could have a high visibility presence underground. Adams says he wants that to happen again, but it was left to CBS New York political reporter Marcia Kramer to put the question to the governor.
"My question to you is, given the incredibly dramatic increase in crime in the first part of the year, can the state come up with more money to help with overtime and other costs to bring down crime in the subways?" Kramer asked.
It was a simple question, but the governor didn't have a simple answer, especially since, when the mayor met with her a few weeks ago to outline his budget requests, the full extent of the subway crime wave had yet to be tallied.
That increase in crime includes a bizarre incident where a man playing the electric cello on the mezzanine of the Herald Square Station was attacked from behind by a woman who hit him on the head with a metal bottle.
"I have a strong relationship with the mayor. He came to me with five requests. I granted all five requests, put them in the budget," Hochul said.
The mayor didn't come up with a new request until Tuesday when he was asked what he planned to do to deal with the new subway crime wave.
He didn't call the governor about it, just said at a press conference he needed more cash for cops because the governor's $62 billion Subway Safety Plan expired months ago.
"We had to scale back after the money ran out," Adams said.
He wants money to pay for the overtime for officers' longer hours.
"We want more visibility, more movement. We want officers walking through the trains, being at the platforms, being near the token booth and identify where the crime is actually taking place," he said.
"Can you find the money for this sixth ask or do something to help the mayor?" Kramer asked the governor.
"We'll certainly have conversations, and he knows we'll always talk about the needs of the city. I represent the residents of the city as well. I'm very concerned about subway safety and so we'll continue to work with the mayor to make sure that we do what we have to do," Hochul said.
It's unclear when this conversation will take place.
The mayor was in St. Louis on Wednesday, getting an award at a jazz gala.