N.Y. Governor Hochul to Deploy State Police, National Guard in NYC Subways to Combat Crime Surge

New York governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that she will deploy 1,000 state police officers and National Guard soldiers to the New York City subway system to crack down on the recent uptick in crime.

A total of 750 New York National Guard members and 250 personnel from the state police and Metropolitan Transportation Authority will patrol subway platforms and “conduct bag checks in the city’s busiest stations,” Hochul said, as part of a five-point plan that she revealed during a news conference.

“These brazen heinous attacks on our subway system will not be tolerated,” she said, referring to recent high-profile shootings, stabbings, beatings, and robberies.

Just last week, a subway conductor was stabbed in the neck at a Brooklyn station. He survived the attack. A separate incident over the weekend involved a 64-year-old man falling onto the tracks after someone kicked him in the back. The man was helped back up onto the platform before a train could arrive.

Created to protect New Yorkers on the subway, the five-point plan involves increasing public-safety personnel, introducing legislation to protect riders and workers, installing more security cameras, collaborating to hold offenders accountable, and expanding scout teams. The state police, National Guard, and MTA will be working together with the New York Police Department to check bags and make sure no person is bringing weapons into a subway station.

“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,” the Democratic governor added.

Hochul’s announcement comes a day after Mayor Eric Adams said the NYPD would enforce random bag searches among commuters. In February, he ordered an additional 1,000 officers to patrol and monitor the city’s subways. These decisions followed data showing crime rose 45 percent in January compared to the same time last year.

Last week, city officials revealed statistics showing violent crimes underground went up 13 percent this year compared to last year. However, Adams downplayed the numbers on Tuesday, saying transit crime saw double-digit decreases last month after his deployment of law enforcement. In February, transit crime decreased by 15 percent compared to February 2023.

During the Wednesday news conference, Hochul also called for judges and district attorneys to ban repeat offenders from the subway system if they’re found convicted of attacking a passenger. Metal detectors will also be considered to help combat the crime surge.