NYC subway crime: Felony assaults increase despite overall reduction

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NEW YORK - New numbers from the MTA show that overall crime in New York City's subway system is down, but felony assaults have increased.

Michael Kemper, the NYPD Chief of Transit, characterized 2023 as a "year of progress" compared to 2022 and credited proactive policing strategies, like issuing 164,000 summonses, a 50% increase; and making 12,000 arrests, a 55% increase.

Still, felony assaults reported in 2023 (554) are already higher than the number reported in 2022 (539), according to CompStat.

Notable incidents of assault this year include subway shovings in Midtown and Tribeca, a strangling in Queens, instances of assaults on NYPD officers, and serial hate crime attacks on women.

Kemper also admitted there was a 10% increase in index crimes in November, which means burglary, robbery, and assault, from 207 last year, to 220.

The November stats are driven by a 17% increase in grand larceny, or property theft without force. That means there are more pickpockets, silently stealing while passengers are distracted or sleeping.

"I do realize and recognize that people are tired," Kemper said. "They work very hard. But if you can stay awake as you're traveling on the train."

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The goal going forward is to create a safe atmosphere on the train, keeping the cars clean, brightening up stations, employing more security guards, and installing cameras inside every subway car by the end of next year. 1,200 are already up and running.

"We actually helped provide some key evidence in a crime that occurred on a train just a couple of weeks ago with video evidence," said Richard Davey, President, New York City Transit. "Pretty compelling. And I know we continue to look forward to using the video to root out the perpetrators in our system."

"Small improvements I have seen," said one subway rider. "I still don't feel 100 percent safe just by nature of what's going on in the city. There are still homeless and random acts of violence that happen."

"This morning I got off on 86th street and Lexington and there were human feces on the stairs," said another. "There are people sleeping on the trains, they smell. It's worse. I been in New York for 35 years and this is the worst I've seen."