New York’s subway crime rate is dropping to pre-COVID-19 levels after an increase in police presence.
NYPD data claims there were 111 major felonies during June, compared to 168 in May. “Adjusted for ridership, crime dropped from 2.87 felonies per million riders in May to 1.77 felonies per million riders in June — the closest it’s come to pre-pandemic levels since March 2020,” according to the NY Post. In May, Governor De Blasio added 125 subway officers to the morning and evening rush hours. The number of private security guards doubled, from 100 to 200.
Alongside the decrease in crime is an increase in riders, from 58.4 million subway trips in May to 65.5 million in June. A veteran NYPD officer told the Post, “Those subways are a mess. You have no idea how crazy it is. 250? You need at least 1,000 cops there, and if they see something they don’t want to do anything ’cause they feel they are not being backed.”
Following an increase in crime, NY lawmakers agreed to increase police presence, despite calls to defund the police less than a year ago. In June, FBA reported, “Police presence has increased since the tragic event, officers being added to Times Square and the 20 large subway stations, to name a few.”