NYC Boosts Subway Police Patrols as Assaults Spike
- Uniformed cops to ride subway across boroughs and overnight
- Officials say longer patrols will help combat crime spike
Police search for a suspect in the Times Square subway station following a call to police from riders in New York on April 25.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesNew York City subway riders will see more uniformed police officers on the trains overnight and for longer stretches of time as the NYPD pushes back against a crime spike in the transit system.
In a new strategy, the NYPD is rolling out patrols where cops ride across multiple boroughs, lengthening their presence on trains, Jason Wilcox, the force’s transit chief, said Tuesday during a panel on subway safety conducted by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. Wilcox said he’s also building an overnight force to police the system at a time when 79% of subway crimes are happening on the trains and on platforms.