By: Julia Porcu
Fear and uncertainty seize commuters as incidents on New York City subways surge.
Researchers state that subway crime is up so far in 2024, and it is currently holding public attention. It has commuters wondering whether or not it is still safe to use the subway as their main form of transportation.
Thursday, March 14th, 2024, a 36-year-old man armed with a gun was left in critical condition after police say he provoked another man on the northbound A train in Brooklyn and then was shot with his own weapon by the 32-year-old-man he was in conflict with. During the dispute, a woman with the 32-year-old man stabbed the 36-year-old in the back. Passengers were stuck on the train cart as the fight occurred and then immediately fled the scene when the train reached its stop.
Tuesday, March 26th, 2024, a Bronx man was charged for the death of a subway rider he allegedly pushed onto the tracks unprovoked.
Thursday, March 28th, 2024, a 44-year-old victim was struck in the face with a beer bottle by a suspect who demanded $1 million from the victim before attacking him at the 59th St-Columbus Circle subway station.
These are just some incidents that occurred in the past two weeks, however, crime on NYC subways has been up and down in recent years.
There are certain measures that have been taken to navigate underground safety. However, it is uncertain whether it is helping passengers feel safe on the train and in train stations.
Researchers state that in the past two years, state and city leaders have introduced several anticrime measures to combat crime on the train including increasing overtime pay for police officers, removing severely mentally ill homeless people from the stations, and installing surveillance cameras in stations and on subway cars.
It is unclear if these tactics are working because police officers are rarely seen at train stations and homeless people are still present within train carts.
As of recently, Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing to deploy hundreds of state troopers and National Guard members in NYC subways to increase security measures. The New York Times states that the system was evident at the Grand Central Terminal earlier this month. The plan is to have random bag checks at stations.
However, despite these measures fear and uncertainty are still present among train riders. A student at St. Francis College voiced her opinion on how the presence of the National Guard at train stations makes her feel.
Senior Danielle Kasler states “I think in theory having the national guard, or more cops in general could potentially lead to feeling safer on the trains. However, since that was enacted, I have yet to see anyone on my commute to school, so my lack of feeling safe on the train has not changed.”
More police officers, metal detectors, and bag checks would make me feel safer while riding in New York City transit. We get metal detectors and bag checks to go see sports games and concerts. Why not have them implemented in train stations to ensure the safety of the passengers?
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