The city’s busy mass transit system carries 3.5 million riders on a daily basis, people of all ages and ethnicities. This year there was a 41% jump in subway crime. City dwellers hope a new policing plan unveiled last week can curb the myriad reports of robberies and increasingly random assaults. Some of the subway crime numbers are particularly eye-popping, including jumps of 63% for grand larceny, 33% for robberies and 18% for felony assault so far in 2022. The NYPD also reported nine murders on mass transit, up from six last year at this point. Through this semester I have done numerous assignments revolving around the recent dangers of taking the subway. Whether it’s a mass shooting on a train, bizarre attackers dressed in green bodysuits going after riders, or a string of random knife attacks — one of which turned deadly — transit crime has been at the forefront of many people’s minds.

Taking Action

After a series of violent deaths on the subway raised concerns about safety in New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday announced a plan to increase the presence of police officers in the transit system. Ms. Hochul, said the state would help the city pay for an additional 1,200 overtime shifts per day for police officers to patrol the subway to keep New Yorkers safe, along with continuing to install cameras inside train cars. But is it enough? Ms. Hochul said that many New Yorkers were concerned about crime on the subway and that she would “focus on getting that sense of security back.”