New York City to increase policing and expand on public resources in transit spaces
New York City is working to make its public transit spaces safer for riders and community members. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced comprehensive new steps to increase law enforcement presence, expand public resources and strengthen mental health policies to make the transit system safer for New Yorkers. These new measures include partnering with New York City officials to increase New York Police Department (NYPD) patrols on subway platforms and trains; installing new protective barriers on subway platforms to protect riders; upgrading fare gates; and delaying egress on exit gates to help crack down on fare evasion. This initiative will also include adding LED lighting throughout stations to increase visibility and updating and strengthening key mental health laws to ensure that New Yorkers with severe mental illness are connected with care instead of being left to languish on subway trains and platforms.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority and that means making sure our subways feel safe and are safe for every single rider and worker,” Gov. Hochul said. “No one should be in fear that they’ll be a victim of crime as they commute to work, go to school or enjoy a night out — that is why we’re partnering with law enforcement, improving our infrastructure and ensuring that New Yorkers struggling with mental illness get the support they need.”
Increasing law enforcement presence throughout the system
Gov. Hochul will be partnering with New York City to increase NYPD presence on platforms and trains by temporarily surging patrol levels in addition to the National Guard members that have been re-deployed into the transit system. Approximately 750 NYPD officers will be stationed across New York City with an additional 300 in the train cars themselves. The increase in enforcement will prioritize 30 subways stations and transit hubs that account for 50 percent of crime in the transit system.
Gov. Hochul will also work with the city to increase police patrols on every overnight train for the next six months. NYPD officers will work from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and there will be a uniformed officer onboard every subway train in service during those hours.
This expansion of law enforcement patrols builds on a previous announcement in December 2024 to add an additional 250 members of the National Guard to support subway safety, bringing the total to 1,000 National Guard members stationed at subway entrances in points throughout New York City.
New public safety resources to protect riders and prevent fare evasion
State funding will be provided to install platform edge barriers at more than 100 additional stations by the end of 2025. The selection of stations for the installation process will prioritize feasibility, including stations with standard car-stopping positions in segments of the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and F, M, L trains. Among these train lines, stations with higher ridership levels and island platforms will be prioritized.
To address fare evasion, the state will invest in modern fare gates in more than 20 stations across the system in 2025 and an additional 20 stations in 2026. Additionally, exit gates will delay egress at 150 additional stations in an effort to reduce fare evasion. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) will work to prioritize stations with higher ridership traffic, accessibility features and those with high fare evasion. The piloted design used in the roll-out was solicited through the MTA’s Request for Information to qualify the next generation of fare gates across the system. Initial installation is scheduled to begin at 42 St-Port Authority, Delancey St-Essex St and Roosevelt Av-Jackson Heights.
The governor has also promised to provide funding to install LED lighting in all subway stations throughout the system which will increase visibility throughout the stations.
These new investments build on Gov. Hochul’s previous deployments of public safety programs and resources throughout the subway system, including a new proposal to ban assaulters of commuters and transit workers, improved coordination between law enforcement and district attorneys and installing new cameras in subway trains throughout the system to help protect customers, conductors and staff.
Expanding mental health partnerships and resources
Gov. Hochul says her Safe Options Support (SOS) initiative has successfully transitioned nearly 850 unhoused individuals into permanent housing and continues to make progress. SOS teams deployed across New York state often encounter individuals experiencing unmet medical and psychiatric needs. To address this gap, Gov. Hochul will work to add street medicine and street psychiatry providers to SOS teams statewide. These providers will help to deliver timely care directly to individuals during outreach, improving access to psychiatric evaluations and medical treatment without requiring individuals to leave their belongings or seek care in hospitals. This approach will enhance trust, build rapport and encourage individuals to accept services and transition indoors, improving outcomes for New York’s most vulnerable residents.
Additionally, to further help reduce homelessness in the subway system, Gov. Hochul will work with the NYC Department of Homeless Services to expand its 24/7 Welcome Center model near end-of-line stations and will create spaces within stations that have a large presence of unhoused people for mobile outreach teams to better connect and coordinate services.
Gov. Hochul previously announced a $20 million investment to expand the Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) throughout the system to 10 by the end of 2025, as a part of her five-point plan to protect New Yorkers on the subway. SCOUT teams are trained to address the most severe cases of mental health crisis within the subway system and assist New Yorkers in gaining access to mental health treatment and supportive housing.
