NYC neighborhoods losing cops to overnight subway patrol plan
NEW YORK CITY - In her state of the state address, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul promised the NYPD would patrol every single subway train overnight, but this means that hundreds of police officers have been reassigned and taken away from their local precincts.
"It’s extremely disappointing because we love the cops. We want to see our cops. We want more cops," President of the Upper West Side Coalition Steve Anderson said.
What happened to the other officers?
What we know:
The Upper West Side Coalition of Block Associations and Community Groups was told on Monday during a community council meeting that they would be losing 15 newly assigned officers.
In November, New York City Council Member Gale Brewer sent a letter to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch regarding a rise in crime and requested additional officers in her district.
In January, that request was granted, and 15 additional officers were assigned to the 20th Precinct.
NYPD officers patrol inside a subway station in New York City, U.S., January 22, 2025. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
However, following Hochul's new subway initiative, the officers were stripped of their new roles just three weeks in and are now underground.
"We may not be the worst precinct for crime rates in the city. Thank god how lucky we are, but part of that is that we wanna maintain that, but we’ve seen some shootings, some knife activities and an increase in crime," Anderson said.
In Queens, the Astoria Post reported that the 114th Precinct lost 16 officers to the overnight subway patrol.
The deputy inspector was quoted telling the Astoria community in a meeting that those officers were supposed to address quality of life issues in the neighborhood.
What they're saying:
The PBA issued a statement to FOX 5 NY that said:
"New Yorkers don’t want to be forced to choose between safe neighborhoods and safe subways. We need enough police officers to cover all of the city’s public safety needs consistently for the long term. To do that, we need Albany and City Hall to invest in incentives to help us recruit and retain the Finest."
Gov. Hochul launches overnight subway patrol initiative
Big picture view:
Last week, New York State began deploying 300 additional officers to patrol subway trains from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The initiative aims to address a concerning increase in violent incidents.
The governor highlighted that most subway crimes occur during late-night hours, making the increased police presence a priority for safety.
The overnight patrols are just one element of Governor Hochul’s five-point plan to improve subway safety. Other measures include:
- Brighter lighting at stations.
- Barriers and safety features on platforms.
- A crackdown on fare evasion.
The initiative’s goal is not only to reduce crime, but also to restore public confidence in the city’s transit system.
Hochul said that this is a 6-month plan and eventually wants to get up to 700 police officers underground.
The Source: This article uses reporting from the Associated Press and from crews on the ground and information collected from previous FOX 5 NY articles.