- New York City plans to deploy at least 800 police officers specifically to monitor turnstiles to crack down on subway fare tax evasion.
- The decision follows a series of recent initiatives aimed at addressing safety and disorder in the nation’s busiest subway system.
- More than 1,700 people have been arrested for turnstile jumping and more than 28,000 fare evasion tickets have been issued so far this year, according to data.
New York City plans to ramp up enforcement of subway fare violations, sending at least 800 police officers to specifically monitor turnstiles, officials announced Monday.
It’s the latest in a series of recent moves to address concerns about safety and disorder in the nation’s busiest subway system. Hours after the announcement, a man was thrown onto the tracks as a train approached a station in East Harlem. According to the New York City Police Department, the train failed to stop and the man was struck, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 45-year-old man was taken into custody. The NYPD said the incident was not a foul play.
New York Governor Hochul calls in state police and National Guard to help curb crime in New York City subways
The New York Police Department announced early Monday that it plans to deploy hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes officers this week to thwart fare evasion.
New York City plans to ramp up its crackdown on subway fare tax evasion, sending at least 800 police officers to specifically monitor turnstiles, officials announced Monday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
“Law and order starts at the turnstiles,” Michael Kemper, the department’s transportation director, said at a news conference. Sergeant John Chell said additional officers would be dispatched to various stations based on crime and ridership statistics and community complaints.
Data shows that a crackdown on fare-skipping passengers has already begun. More than 1,700 people have been arrested for turnstile jumping so far this year, with a total of 965 in 2023. Police have issued more than 28,000 desertion tickets so far this year.
A single subway ride costs $2.90, but you can save money by taking multiple rides or using a monthly pass. Officials have long complained that fare evasion costs the city’s transit system hundreds of millions of dollars a year. But in at least the past few years, a crackdown on turnstile jumpers has drawn scrutiny for tickets and arrests that disproportionately affect blacks and Hispanics.
Police and Mayor Eric Adams, himself a former transit police officer, have suggested in recent weeks that there is a link between fare skipping and violence on trains.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fears about subway safety have proven difficult to quell since crime soared in 2021 as people in New York and other cities emerged from lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
After taking office in 2022, Adams rolled out a plan to bring more police officers, mental health doctors and social service workers to the metro.
Police say reports of serious transportation crimes are down nearly 3% from 2022 to 2023, and authorities announced Monday that overall crimes so far this month are down 15% compared to last year. .
But concerns grew after shootings and slashings in the past few months prompted the NYPD to announce in February that it would step up underground patrols. Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul, like Gov. Adams, a Democrat, announced she would deploy the National Guard to assist with random bag searches in the underground system.
Hours before Monday’s press conference, a man was stabbed multiple times during an argument over smoking on a subway train, police said. The suspect was arrested.
