MTA appoints NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper as agency’s chief security officer
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has appointed of New York City Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Transit Michael Kemper as MTA chief security officer. In his new role, effective Sept. 30, Kemper will oversee security at the MTA, including public safety in the transit system, the MTA Police Department and protection of infrastructure and major facilities such as Grand Central Terminal and MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
“Michael Kemper has been the architect of the NYPD’s hugely successful strategy for reducing crime in the transit system,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “It has made transit much safer in all of the major crime categories and I look forward to a continuation of progress with him leading MTA’s security initiatives, in collaboration with the NYPD.”
“As a second-generation New York City cop, my dream of joining the ranks of the NYPD became a reality more than three decades ago,” Kemper said. “I look back fondly on my years of service to this city and its people, especially in my most recent role as the NYPD’s chief of transit, working closely with our transportation partners. It serves as the perfect foundation for improving security to an even higher level, as I approach crime control strategies from inside the MTA.”
Kemper comes to the MTA after 33 years of service with the NYPD, where he started as a patrol officer in 1991, rising up the ranks through his tenure to a three-star bureau chief. Throughout his career, Kemper has held multiple ranks and commanded a variety of units within the Patrol Services Bureau and Detective Bureau and has worked in all five boroughs of the city.
As chief of transit, Kemper led the historic reduction in crime in the subway system. Together with MTA, Kemper successfully implemented the Cops, Camera and Care program, launched by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams in October 2023, which added more cameras, uniformed officers and mental health professionals.
In addition to an increased presence, Kemper focused on curbing fare evasion to keep bad actors out of the system. His efforts led to a 2.9 percent reduction in crime in his first full year as chief of transit while the number of fare evasion tickets increased by 44.8 percent. The downward trend in crime has continued into 2024, with latest transit crime statistics from the NYPD showing that major crimes have decreased by 7.7 percent year-to-date through July 2024 in the subway system.
Kemper will continue to work with the NYPD in his new role, serving as the primary liaison between the MTA and NYPD on public safety efforts for subway and bus riders while also collaborating with law enforcement partners throughout the region on the safety of MTA infrastructure. He will also oversee the MTA Police Department, responsible for policing the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Metro-North Railroad, Staten Island Railway and major transit hubs.
In his new role, Kemper will spearhead agency wide fare evasion enforcement strategy, working with New York City Transit, the LIRR and Metro-North. He will also collaborate with MTA Construction & Development on the development of new fare enforcement technology and initiatives.
