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NEW YORK (WCBS/WLNY) -- Security has been stepped up in the New York City underground.
As she promised in her State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul has added hundreds of NYPD officers to subway platforms and trains during overnight hours in an attempt to stop a rash of crimes that has shocked the city in recent months.
Officers were seen being given their instructions before boarding trains at the Metropolitan Avenue station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Monday night.
Heightened security will run from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The initiative is rolling out in phases, but the full operation should be in place by the end of January. Hochul says the goal is to improve public safety, with the increase in enforcement prioritizing 30 subway stations and transit hubs that account for 50% of crime in the transit system.
The governor says an additional 750 officers will be stationed on platforms and 300 more will be added to overnight trains from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next six months, with the state budget footing the $77 million cost.
Two officers will be on each of the 150 trains that travel during the overnight hours in the city. The extra push is in addition to the 2,500 NYPD officers and National Guard members already assigned to stations around the city.
Hochul says trends show crimes in the subway system are likely to occur overnight, and adding more police presence will help track where they are committed.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has said adding more officers can only do so much, and lawmakers need to address recidivism at the root of the issue.
Riders pleased with the state's response
For now, riders say the extra police presence is welcoming.
"That is definitely reassuring, especially as a woman, and I'm very small. I find myself pushing myself to the back of the wall," rider Ella Cajayon said.
"I think it's a good idea. With all the things going on, having an extra set of eyes and hands to grab someone in case they're acting up," one rider said.
"We all have families. We just want to stay safe, so whatever it takes," another rider said.
"I think that's better to make people more comfortable, more safe," Destiny Batur said. "Anything can happen anywhere. You never know who got what."
