NYC is implementing a pilot program to install gun scanners at subway stations amidst the recent incidents of violence in transit. NBC New York’s Andrew Siff reports.
Crime in the transit system is now slightly down year over year, and March saw particularly drastic declines, the NYPD announced at its quarterly crime stats press conference Wednesday, declaring it a testament to the rash of security initiatives implemented in recent weeks to assure public safety.
Overall crime in the transit system plummeted 23.5% in March, which NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban says is a direct result of the 1,000 additional uniformed NYPD officers surged into the network starting in January.
The 538 subway crimes between Jan. 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024 of this year reflect an average number of six crimes a day -- no significant change -- and a decline of 1.1%. That 1.1% year-over-year crime decrease was led by double-digit percentage drops in major categories: Robbery cut in half, grand larceny dropped 15% (89 vs. 105), and felony assault dropped 11% (49 vs. 55), officials say. Breakouts on the other categories weren't immediately provided by the NYPD.
Overall arrests in the subway system are up almost 53% compared to last year (4,813 vs. 3,147), including an 83.3% increase in gun arrests (22 vs. 12), a nearly 80% jump in fare-evasion arrests (1,864 vs. 1,038), and a 24.1% hike in grand larceny arrests (108 vs. 87), according to the NYPD. The number of summonses also climbed markedly.
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NYPD numbers indicate crime above ground has declined on core benchmarks as well. Reports are up for categories like rape and bias attacks, however.
The statistical update comes on the heels of multiple new security initiatives designed to both enhance public perception of safety in transit and ensure public safety in transit. Last week, the mayor and Caban gathered to announce a planned gun scanner pilot as part of that continuing effort. That pilot program won't launch immediately due to some procedural issues.
Violence in the subway system is rare, with major crimes dropping nearly 3% from 2022 to 2023 and killings falling from 10 to five during the same span, according to police. But serious incidents have attracted attention, such as a passenger's slashing of a subway conductor in the neck last month. Four recent homicides also made headlines.
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MTA officials say many subway crimes, armed and otherwise, are perpetrated by fare-beaters, as was the case in the Hoyt station shooting, and have plowed copious resources into curbing that problem in recent weeks as well.
"There cannot be a sense of lawlessness in the subway system, and it begins at the turnstiles," Caban said in a statement. "It is highly encouraging to see the tangible results of our hard work – the investment we are making is clearly paying dividends. We vow to maintain our tight focus on the drivers of crime in order to improve transportation safety – and perceptions of safety – at every station, on every train, at all hours of the day and night."
Nonetheless, as MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said last week, the perception is it's a "nightmare" underground. Part of the motive in flooding the system with law enforcement officers, as well as the new push to detect weapons and check bags, is to more closely align the perception of crime in transit with the reality of crime in transit, officials say.
"Public safety is the actual safety and it's how people are feeling," Adams said last week. "We know we have over 4 million riders a day and a reliable system. We know we have approximately six felonies a day out of those 4 million riders. But if they don't feel safe, then we're not accomplishing our task. Stats don't matter if people don't believe they are in a safe environment."
As of March 28, NYPD officers had seized a total of 450 weapons — including 21 illegal guns — in the New York City transit system this year, compared to 261 weapons — including nine guns — during the same period last year. The NYPD also seized 1,515 weapons in the subway system in 2023, including 1,470 cutting instruments and 45 illegal firearms. That tally was a stark increase from the previous year, when 947 total weapons were seized, including 912 cutting instruments and 35 guns, according to Adams' administration.
