(NewsNation) — New York National Guard soldiers and New York State Police officers were deployed to assist police in strengthening subway safety in the wake of several violent incidents.
As part of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new plan to combat subway crime in New York City, 750 members of the National Guard, 250 State Police personnel and MTA police will perform random checks “in the city’s busiest stations.” They’ll work with the New York Police Department to ensure no weapons are brought into the subways.
Retired NYPD Chief Wilbur Chapman noted that the National Guard was previously deployed to aid the NYPD in checking bags and searching for explosive devices following 9/11. However, he doubts the effectiveness of conducting bag searches, citing the ease of concealing weapons in jackets or pockets.
“The people who are committing crimes on the subways are not carrying explosive devices; they’re using knives and guns,” he said. “Bag searches will not necessarily serve the purpose because you’ll have individuals who can easily secrete guns or knives in their jacket or pants pockets and not be subject to searches.”
Chapman added that the visual presence is “helpful,” but work needs to be done by the transit bureau of the NYPD.
“(They) have the expertise and the experience and understand how the 472 subway stations that exist operate, their physical layout,” he said. “They are the ones who will be responsible and have the expertise to combat this increase in crime.”
Meanwhile, former Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee notes the National Guard’s presence may offer a sense of security, but public perception of crime can often be “more daunting than the reality”
“The reality is we have so many different mediums now. Everybody that has an Instagram account, a TikTok account, a Facebook account is a journalist now. “Things that chief and I used to see back in the day daily as practitioners, people are now exposed to every day,” he said.
Godbee added that New York City is still one of the safest largest cities in the U.S. and people shouldn’t be afraid of the city’s subway system, but the large exposure crime news and reality are “two different things right now.”
