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NYPD officers will be stationed on subways overnight starting Monday, Gov. Hochul says

New subway safety measures unveiled by Gov. Kathy Hochul
New subway safety measures unveiled by Gov. Kathy Hochul 03:06

NEW YORK -- New York City police officers will be stationed on the subway during overnight hours starting as early as Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday

That's not all. Hochul said there will also be new turnstile gates to stop fair evasion, and there will be an expansion of homeless outreach services at certain stations. 

Hochul is pledging $77 million from the state's budget to make it happen. The state is allocating money for the overnight patrols for six months, but she also told CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer that if crime is still up this summer, she'll find money to expand the program. 

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New fixtures to deter fare evasion in the subway by making it more difficult to hop a turnstile.  CBS News New York

"How does Monday sound? I'm not waiting. Monday you'll start seeing an increased presence on the overnight trains," Hochul said. 

Hochul says there are currently 2,500 NYPD officers assigned to stations around the city, along with members of the National Guard. Now, 750 additional officers will be stationed on platforms, and 300 more will be added to overnight trains from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

"So you have two per train. There's 150 trains that travel the overnight shifts -- that's two police officers per train, that's where you get the 300 from," said Hochul. 

The governor said the city and state have doubled the number of law enforcement personnel in the subway over the last year. 

"I want to bolster the police presence overnight to track where the crimes are committed," she said. "We have trends that show more of them are likely to occur on the overnight hours, and that's when we have to protect, really, the unsung heroes of our city. 

"When others are going home, these are the people coming in. They work the night shift at the hospital, the people who work in the hotel lobbies, the doctors and nurses, the bakers, the baristas, the construction workers who need to be on call," she continued. "These are the people who keep our city running, they're taking public transit, and they have every right to be safe."

She also made it clear these new patrols will not divert existing resources, and said the overnight shifts will be eligible for overtime. In a recent statement, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said adding more officers can only do so much, and said lawmakers need to address the recidivism at the root of the issue. 

And what happens at the end of six months, when the money runs out?

"Well, I'll will always be assessing the situation," Hochul told Kramer. "My job is to keep them safe... I'll always be the partner that the city needs to ensure there's safety and security." 

You can see much more of Kramer's interview with Hochul on "The Point" Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on CBS News New York. 

New York leaders taking steps to curb subway crime

Hochul unveiled her latest subway safety initiative in her 2025 State of the State address Tuesday. 

"We cannot allow our subway to be a rolling homeless shelter," she said in her address, adding, "The state will support these efforts financially because we have to stop the chaos." 

The governor also announced funding for new protective barriers on platformsLED lighting at all stations and updated turnstiles and exit doors to prevent fare evasion.

"We're also making sure it's not just the physical presence of police, it's those physical barriers, it's the LED lights, it's the cameras," she told reporters Thursday. "But also, I say, it's time to crack down on the shameless fare evaders who are just so brazen. They just walk through, and others who are paying feel like, hey, why should I bother? It's hit out coffers hard, not just here, but also on our buses." 

There will also be new gates across the system. 

"I've directed the MTA to install modern turnstiles in 40 stations. We track where most of the fare evaders occur. We'll hit 40 by the end of 2025, and continue to make sure we don't stop until we've completed the process," Hochul said. 

These measures follow several recent attacks, including a woman burned to death while sleeping on a train in Coney Island, and a man randomly pushed onto the tracks on New Year's Eve in Chelsea. The governor had already deployed the National Guard into the system, and last year she laid out a five-step plan to install more cameras, target repeat offenders and fund mental health teams.

"We have seen an increase in some kinds of crimes. Overall, crime is down, we have the data, but there has been an increase in some felony assaults and some murders, which is what really shakes that foundation of security that everyone deserves to have," she said Thursday.

On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams also unveiled a $650 million plan he says will help people who are struggling with homelessness and mental illness find temporary housing, instead of being turned back on the streets. His announcement came three years after the death of Michelle Go, who was pushed onto the tracks in Times Square by a homeless man with schizophrenia

Meanwhile, the NYPD is asking for the public's help finding a man they say started several fires around Manhattan and Queens, including one near a sleeping passenger on the J train.

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