Officers in NYC subway system helping to reduce crime after 'unacceptable' increase: NYPD
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The MTA held its monthly committee meetings on Monday and officials got a presentation on the latest subway crime statistics.
After a 45.4% increase in subway crime in January, the subway system was flooded with more than 1,000 police officers every day in February.
"These cops are out there and highly visible, stationed at turnstiles, mezzanines, and platforms and riding the trains," said Transit Chief Michael Kemper, NYPD. "And it seems that this tremendous investment is immediately paying dividends."
The first three weeks of February had a 17.7% decrease in crime from last February.
That has reduced this year's increase in crime in the subway to 13.2%.
Seventeen guns have been recovered from riders in the subway system so far this year. That's almost triple the number recovered last year to date.
More than 250 arrests were made for other weapons in the subway, a 44.4% increase from last year.
Still, the public perception of subway safety is suffering especially in the wake of a deadly D train shooting on Friday.
Police say 45-year-old William Alvarez was shot and killed during a fight on a D train in the Bronx.
The suspects, identified as 24-year-old Justin Herde, 38-year-old Betty Cotto, and 42-year-old Alfredo Trinidad, were taken into police custody on Monday.
"I am grateful for the work the safety team, Pat Warren's team, and subway team is doing on cameras. I have said it once, I will say it again. We have more cameras than a Las Vegas casino in this system," said Richard Davey, NYC Transit President. "We have three clear pictures of the perps we believe shot and killed that man on our train because we had cameras on our train. If you do something bad on our system, we will find you. We will find you."
Friday's fatal subway shooting marks the third homicide in the subway system this year.
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