The NYPD will add 800 officers over the next five days to hunt down fare violators, claiming the move will curb more violent crime as it continues to attack quality-of-life issues. They plan to bomb the subway.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said the department’s new “Operation Fare Play” comes a day after a Post analysis found violent attacks on railroad tracks have spiked more than 50% since 2019. He said they would target stations across the borough. A press conference was held Monday at a subway stop at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue in Manhattan with other department leaders.
Additional officers will be assigned to stations based on crime levels at traffic stops, MTA statistics and community complaints, Chell said.
“This is not a one-week contract,” Chell said of the “surge” tactic.
“We’re going to do it over and over again. The reason we’re not revealing the location is because we don’t want people to know,” he said. “What we want them to know is, ‘Don’t come here and think you can take a free ride and take your weapons.’
NYPD Transportation Commissioner Michael Kemper added, “blatant fare evasion at the turnstiles is one of the leading complaints from both law-abiding subway riders and the MTA.”
“Passengers should not be subjected to open misconduct anywhere on our subway system, and the law and order posture must start at the turnstiles,” he said. “Please don’t. Don’t jump, crawl, or go through the gate. Make the right decision.”
Kemper said 20 straphangers have been arrested for packing heat so far this year, 11 of which were found with guns while being stopped for fare violations.
Earlier this month, mobster Darjuan Robinson, 36, began harassing and threatening other passengers on a Brooklyn train during rush hour, until a strapper turned the tables and put his own gun to his head. I was shot. The straphanger who fired the gun was not charged, and authorities said it was a case of self-defense.
The New York Police Department announced Monday that overall subway crime has fallen by more than 15% so far this month compared to the same period in 2023, praising earlier efforts to add more officers and flood subways.
Kemper said 28,000 citations have already been issued for fare violations so far this year, and about 1,700 passengers have been arrested for jumping turnstiles.
“This is about correcting behavior and protecting the ultimate safety of our subway system and our passengers,” the transportation chief said.
“Let me be clear: fare evasion enforcement and the presence of turnstiles are key elements of our crime reduction strategy. We do it every day. Every day of the year. This is nothing new. “This week we will step it up even more,” he said.
Police said officers will include both uniformed and undercover officers from across the city.
Kemper said repeat offenders are always a concern.
Of the 13,600 people arrested on the subway last year, 124 had at least five arrests, Kemper said, adding that there were more than 7,500 arrests on their rap sheets over the years.
“No more freebies. Are you talking about weapons raining down? We’re done here,” Chell said.
But the plan did little to allay lingering safety concerns for users of the city’s subways on Monday.
Michael Griffin, a 32-year-old straphanger who regularly works as a security guard, said: “Having more cops for fare violators might solve the economic problem, but criminals only pay $2.90.” “If you think you can’t afford cents, think again.” Take train number 2 and go to the post.
Sierra, a Harlem mother, said her teenage daughter is terrified every time she takes the subway to school.
“There’s no way we’re going to see less crime than last month,” she said. “I’ve heard that this month alone there has been one attack after another. Wasn’t someone shot on the train? How is crime going down?
“Are we talking about the same crime or are we talking about the same trains? They must be talking about the Metro-North Railroad or the Long Island Railroad because the subways are definitely unsafe .”
The launch of Operation Fair Play reveals that despite an overall decline in transport crime, the number of violent assaults leaving subway victims with serious injuries has soared. This follows a report in the Post.
Statistics show there were 570 serious assaults on subways last year, and 373 similar assaults in 2019, an increase of 53%.
Statistics show that in recent years, felony assaults have made up a larger portion of overall crime in the country, accounting for 25% of major traffic crimes, compared to just 15% in 2019.
“The only thing I’m looking forward to in retirement is never being able to ride the subway again,” Ramon Garcia, a 54-year-old maintenance worker, told the Post on Monday.
“If commuters had other affordable transportation options to get to work or school, they would go out of business, because riding the train shouldn’t be a threat to my life.” he said. “It’s definitely the ’80s again.”
