The state of New York is sending the National Guard, State Police, and MTA cops into New York City subways, so commuters “feel safe” amid a leadership failure by the mayor that has devastated the city.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Wednesday that she would deploy state law enforcement to the Big Apple subway network, as well as “teams of mental health workers,” to “help commuters and visitors to the city feel safe,” according to the New York Times.
The Times reports:
Additional law enforcement officers would add to an already large presence in the subways, where Mayor Eric Adams ordered an additional 1,000 officers in February following a 45 percent spike in major crimes in January compared with the same time last year.
Grand larcenies — thefts without the use of force — were a main driver of the January spike in crime, according to the police. Grand larcenies are defined by the police as major crimes, along with homicides, assaults and robberies.
Hochul is sending 1,000 members of State Police, National Guard, and MTA cops, ostensibly to conduct “bag checks.” It is unclear how that plan will be executed on the service that sees upward of three million riders per day.
“These brazen heinous attacks on our subway system will not be tolerated,” Hochul said Wednesday. “No one heading to their job or to visit family or go to a doctor appointment should worry that the person sitting next to them possesses a deadly weapon.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) was not present at Hochul’s announcement.
“Subway crime rates surged in the first two months of this year — spiking by nearly 20% compared to this time last year, NYPD stats show. This year alone, three New Yorkers have been shot dead on trains and subway platforms,” the New York Post reported.
“In addition to the patrol boost, Hochul said she will introduce a new law that allows judges to ban anyone who has been convicted of a violent transit assault from riding the Big Apple’s subway or bus system,” the Post wrote.
Hochul did not get into details about how this part of her “plan” would be enforced — especially given the skyrocketing rates of turnstile hoppers, which cost the subway system $690 million in unpaid fares in 2022 — other than installing cameras in conductors’ booths and having the NYPD and district attorneys “create a new early warning system” for subway recidivists.
“The deployment is part of what Ms. Hochul described as a five-point plan, which would provide $20 million and pay for 10 teams of mental health workers who would help people on the subway,” the Times additionally reported.
Felony assaults on New Yorkers are continuing to rise across New York City, specifically in the borough of Manhattan, as Breitbart reported:
In 2022, violent crime in New York City rose 23 percent, with more than 126,500 arrests made for murder and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, felony assault, rape, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto — the seven major crime categories.
Felony assaults, often random attacks on New Yorkers by career criminals with extensive rap sheets, totaled more than 26,000 last year. This represents a 60 percent increase from 2008, when felony assaults were at a significant low.
Even compared to recent prior years, felony assaults in 2022 were way up.
For example, felony assaults rose 14 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, 27 percent compared to 2020, 26 percent compared to 2019, 29 percent compared to 2018, and 30 percent compared to 2017.
Last year’s surge in felony assaults on New Yorkers is now continuing this year (2023).
The announcement also comes as New York maintains its “bail reform law,” which allows perps to be released with no bail.
Breitbart reported the effect of this law has been perps being more likely to reoffend than they were before the edict came into effect:
Felony suspects released without bail thanks to New York’s bail reform law are more likely to be rearrested for more felonies, including violent crimes, than suspects who were given bail before the law went into effect.
Overall, the study found that 47 percent of New York City suspects previously charged with felonies were rearrested for crimes — including more than 31 percent of whom were rearrested for felonies, more than 17 percent rearrested for violent crimes, and almost four percent rearrested for firearm charges.
In all three categories, felonies, violent crimes, and firearm charges, felony suspects had a higher rate of rearrest after they were released without bail than those who were arrested and required to post bail before the new law went into effect.
Mayor Adams posted on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday, that “Murders are DOWN. Shootings are DOWN. Transit crime is DOWN. Car thefts are DOWN. The safest big city in America just got even SAFER.”
