NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The NYPD's chief of transit is calling for a ban on "prolific" repeat offenders in the subway system amid a spate of crimes in the transit system.
Several repeat offenders have committed crimes in the system in recent weeks, including a suspect who was arrested for snatching a phone at a station in Queens last month, NYPD Chief of Transit Kathleen O'Reilly told 1010 WINS.
That suspect was arrested eight times for the same crime last year, O'Reilly said.
"And he's gone on to commit five further crimes this year, and he's been released on his own recognizance," she added.
Another repeat offender, meanwhile, has been arrested 65 times — most recently in March for pickpocketing in the subway, she said.
That suspect was also released on his own recognizance, she noted.
"We need an effective ban on our most prolific offenders," she said.
A law passed in July bans Level 3 sex offenders from the transit system, but the ban should be extended to other crimes, O'Reilly maintained.
