New York Deploying National Guard in Subway

(RepublicanPress.org) – In an effort to tackle concerns about crime, New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams (D), recently announced he was adding more police to patrol the city’s subway system and implementing bag searches looking for weapons on the train and the platform. New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) joined him and took the effort a few steps further.

On March 6, ABC News reported that the governor released a multi-part plan to combat violence in the transit system. One of the steps involves Hochul deploying at least 750 New York National Guard members to help check bags for weapons. These men and women are already part of the Joint Task Force Empire Shield. She will also assign 250 state troopers and MTA Police members to the subway system. The governor said in a press conference that New Yorkers should be able to travel in peace, not worrying whether they’re sitting next to a person carrying a “deadly weapon.”

New York National Guard troops and New York State Police troopers will be deployed into the NYC subway system to help riders feel safe after a spike in transit crime, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday. https://t.co/xgIVOxepjZ

— ABC News (@ABC) March 7, 2024

According to CBS News, her 5-point plan includes adding cameras to every conductor’s cabin, changing state law banning repeat offenders from the subway, increasing spending on mental health outreach, and connecting police officers with district attorneys to stop those who continue to break the rules. Hochul said the “psychological impact” on travelers is stressful, so she and Adams are working together to alleviate the issue.

Some riders don’t feel like the bag check will do much because most offenders don’t carry weapons in their bags but rather on their person. Others worry it will lead to profiling certain races of people. Still, some travelers welcome the change, with one stating the “subways are crazy” and they would rather have “bag check than end up dead,” CBS News reported.

Crime on the subway system was down in February year-on-year but up by a stunning 45% in January. According to ABC News, NYPD Transit Chief Michael Kemper stated officers have made over 3,000 so far this year.