NYC to add 200 more NYPD officers to subway
Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr
While crime in New York City dropped by three percent in 2024, city officials are adding 200 police officers to the subway system following a series of high-profile incidents. In a Monday press conference, Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the move, aimed at making riders feel safe after a string of shocking crimes, including the death of a woman who was set on fire in Brooklyn last month. While the mayor argues that positive crime statistics have been overshadowed by high-profile incidents, he said the administration’s priority is to now make New Yorkers feel safe.
The new officers will conduct “specialty train patrols” and be primarily deployed on platforms at the 50 stations with the highest crime rates, according to Tisch. This move is part of a strategy to refocus law enforcement efforts where most of the crime is taking place.
Seventy-eight percent of transit crime occurs on trains and subway platforms, Tisch said, emphasizing that these locations are “quite obviously where our officers need to be.”
Tisch also announced that this month, the NYPD will roll out additional improvements to its transit deployments in response to the “terrifying acts of random violence” that have recently gripped the subway system.
These incidents include the fatal burning of a woman in Coney Island in December and an attack last week in which a man was injured after being pushed in front of a train in Manhattan.
“I want to be very clear, the subways will always be a bellwether for the perception of public safety in New York City. Declining crime numbers are significant, but we still must do more, because people don’t feel safe in our subways,” Tisch said Monday.
Mayor Adams echoed the commissioner’s remarks, stating, “It is clear, perception always overrides reality, and when you look at some of the horrific incidents that the commissioner talked about in these last few days, the average New Yorker would believe that they’re living in a city that is out of control. That is not the reality.”
He continued, “We know that we are doing a good job in fighting crime, as the numbers will show, but we must deal with the perception that many New Yorkers feel.”
According to NYPD data, major crime—which includes murder, felony assault, robbery, and burglary—dropped 5.4 percent last year in the transit system compared to 2023, and is now 12.7 percent below pre-pandemic levels.
In 2024, robberies dropped by 16.3 percent, while burglaries decreased by 23.5 percent in the transit system. However, murders on the subway doubled, with 10 incidents in 2024 compared to five in 2023, and the number of shootings and petit larceny also increased year-over-year.
Other key crime statistics from 2024 include:
- There were five percent more felony assaults in 2024 than in 2023. Since 2020, felony assaults are up 30 percent.
- There were 71 fewer shootings in 2024, a seven percent decrease from 2023.
- There were 227 more rapes in 2024 than in 2023, an 18.9 percent increase.
- Hate crimes overall decreased, but religious hate crimes increased by 40 percent. In 2024, there were 22 more hate crimes against Jews, marking a seven percent increase over 2023, and 17 more against Muslims, a 65 percent increase.
Regarding the rise in felony assault, Tisch claimed that the numbers were “driven by assaults on our officers, domestic violence, and stranger attacks.” She also pointed to recidivism as a contributing factor to the increase in crime, attributing it to recent legal changes involving bail reform.
In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed 250 more National Guard troops to patrol the city’s subway system during the holidays, bringing the total count to 1,000 troops following their initial deployment in March.
The deployment is part of the governor’s five-point plan to address safety issues on NYC transit, which includes installing security cameras on every subway car and expanding mental health outreach services.
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