NYPD Transit Cops patrol subway platform at Times Square–photograph Stephen M. Joseph
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea and Mayor Bill de Blasio have deployed 250 additional police officers to the subway system after days of pressure from Governor Andrew Cuomo and MTA leaders. The deployment comes as the city returned to 24-hour subway service ridership Monday.
The 250 officers are in addition to the 2,500 existing officers assigned to transit and the 500 officers added to patrol the system back in February.
With a spike in violent attacks and crimes on subway platforms and the trains, MTA leaders called on the mayor to beef up patrol on the subway system.
In a press conference outside Columbus Circle last week, the mayor said, “We’re going to take officers and put them in the right places in the subways at the right time, particularly at peak times of ridership.”
MTA officials have blasted the mayor for months on his slow response to the uptick in subway crimes.
Nevertheless, at the press conference, the mayor said, “that the system will get safer as ridership increases.”
