MTA report shows 16 percent drop in subway crimes since October 2022
NEW YORK -- New numbers came out Friday on subway safety.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and the MTA report a drop in subway crime from the fall to now.
Subway riders are reacting, along with those who believe there's still much left to be improved on.
As subway ridership rises, the NYPD reports a 16% drop in subway crime from last Oct. 25-Jan. 22 of this year. It's considered by the NYPD as the second lowest crime rate in this three month time period in recorded history, going back to 1995.
"I can't tell New Yorkers that they can feel safe. I'm not going to even do that. But the data is showing that New Yorkers are telling us they are feeling safer and that's what I'm going to pay attention to," Hochul said.
Hochul refers to the December survey taken by 3,000 randomly selected subway riders, where 18% more said they felt safer. She credits programs like the city and state's Cops, Cameras and Care initiative that started in late October, where this new data dates back to. Initiatives like this placed 1,200 more cops on subway cars.
"It's a good day, and I don't that we'll ever stand here and say crime is gone, but this is New York. It's vibrant, it feel much better than it did a year ago, even the month of October. There's this greater sense of security again. Not my words, but the words of our valued riders," said Hochul.
"Do we have a long way to go? You're darn right, because the governor's right. We don't want six felonies a day. We want zero felonies a day. But are we trending in the right direction? You're darn right we are. Because we did it by not just having a kneejerk response. We did strategic, smart, layer on, precision policing," said Adams, who alluded to the positive news during an interview on CBS2 News.
"Now I'm seeing they're increasing the amount of the police on the subway station," said Manhattan resident Berny Montilla.
"How do you feel about it, seeing that they're increasing it?" CBS2's Kristie Keleshian asked.
"That's great," Montilla said. "I would like to see more."
"This system is safe, it is functional, it will be free from the disorder we inherited in 2022," Adams said.
"Tell that to the families of the 11 victims that were killed that the subway is safe," said Charlton D'Souza of Passengers United. "And the first victim this year won't be coming home to his family."
Passengers United is pointing to the 11 reported on the subway system in 2022, as well as the first one of this year that took place at the 96th street station last week.
"We need to get these individuals who are off their medications treatment right away. But we also need to have police who are at every subway station on two tours and, like I've been saying, bring in the National Guard," D'Souza said.
D'Souza wants to see more mental health resources available.
The city says it's working with hospitals to open more beds for mental health patients within the next month.
"I've noticed this week since we got back into town that there's more police in the subway system, and that seems pretty normal to me," said straphanger Jay Sherwood.
"I'm a New Yorker. I've lived on every borough except Staten Island so getting on the subway anytime, day or night, and it's usually packed. So I feel good," a straphanger named Victoria siad.
