New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced that 1,000 members of the state's National Guard will be deployed in the city's subway system to combat crime following a series of incidents. This announcement comes after a shooting incident in mid-February at a Bronx station that resulted in one fatality and five injuries, and a late-February stabbing of a subway operator at a Brooklyn station. Hochul stated in a declaration from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's rail control center in downtown: "We will not tolerate these heinous and brazen attacks in our city's subway system," emphasizing that the goal of deploying National Guard troops is to "assist the NYPD in enhancing bag checks for passengers at the busiest stations." The governor also promised to deploy additional surveillance cameras and announced plans to make it easier to prevent individuals convicted of attacking transit employees from accessing the subway. Additionally, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a Democrat, announced increased inspection operations. Before the recent incidents, the most serious event occurred in April 2022, when a man opened fire on a train in Brooklyn during rush hour, injuring dozens, and was sentenced to life in prison for "committing acts of terrorism." The number of serious crimes in the transit network increased by 50% in January compared to the same month in 2023. Overall, crime rates in the subway this year have risen by 13%, according to the latest statistics from the NYPD.
In New York: War Underground
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