Fighting crime in the New York City subways is now getting more attention.
This time from Governor Kathy Hochul who announced on Wednesday that cameras are now on every subway car, reaching full coverage in the system ahead of schedule.
The other part of the equation is the Governor announced that during the holidays, an additional 250 National Guard members will patrol the subway system.
It brings the number of National Guard members stationed at subway entrances to 1,000. A show of force intended to deter crime and to reassure riders.
The Governor and MTA chairman insist they are making progress in driving down crime in the transit system. Overall crime is down since the pandemic but not in every category.
“This is not a response to a specific crime. We’re not seeing a trend that’s alarming, but it’s about continuing a strategy that has proven its success and expanding it to protect even more people,” Hochul said.
The deployments were first stepped up in 2022, along with state troopers and NYPD officers, in response to a surge in post-pandemic violent crime.