City records reveal that NYPD overtime for additional subway officers jumped from $4 million in 2022 to $155 million in 2023. This leap in NYPD officer funding comes after growing public concerns about safety on the subways.
According to MSNBC, from 2021 to 2022, city subways saw an almost 40% increase in reported felonies, mostly stemming from vastly decreased ridership during the peak of the pandemic period. Despite crime rates being lower than pre-pandemic, growing public concern from news coverage of subway crime influenced what would come next.
This extensive increase results from a combined strategy between Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hocul to rid the subway system of crime in a strategy they call “the three C’s: cops, cameras, care.” What his strategy deliberately ignores is who it will hurt the most.
Fare evasion tickets and arrests of people of color have increased since the introduction of this subway strategy. NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper states that “stopping fare evaders sets the tone of law and order.” Of course, this order comes at the expense of riders of color.
No matter how many millions the NYPD spends, they aren't making transit safe for Black people. If anything, the system now puts Black people at even greater risk through sheer force.