NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – 1010 WINS joined Mayor Eric Adams for a subway ride-along as the NYPD rolls out hundreds more officers into the transit system on overnights to deter crime.
The mayor rode the L train on a chilly Tuesday night with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and members of the press, overseeing the phased deployment of officers by the dozens. The first lines to get cops overnight are the A, G, J and L.
By the end of the month, the goal is to have a pair of officers on every train in the system during the overnight hours from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. That comes to about 300 officers on 150 trains for a period of at least six months.
A pair of officers rides the L train on Tuesday night.Mary-Lyn Buckley
Adams predicted the initiative will "have a major impact on the psyche of people."
"Our battle is making sure people are feeling safe. That's the battle we're fighting, and the presence of these uniformed officers is going to add to that perception," the mayor said.
Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch oversaw the deployment of officers Tuesday night.Mary-Lyn Buckley
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the surge during her State of the State address last week. A $77 million subway safety plan will also place 750 additional officers in stations in addition to the 2,500 cops already on transit patrol.
The safety initiative comes after the transit system saw a rise in assaults and murders in 2024—a year that also ended in several attacks that made national news and left riders feeling unsettled, including a woman fatally set on fire at the Coney Island station and a man shoved into the path of a train in Chelsea.
Dozens of officers were ready for deployment.Mary-Lyn Buckley
"When you speak to passengers here, they will tell you the presence of that blue uniform has a significant impact on feeling safe," Adams said.
"And even if they're not in their car, they know if an officer is on the train—the conductor's going to announce that a police officer's on the train—that is a great feeling," he added.
Adams said he wants officers "moving through the trains and engaging with the passengers," asking riders questions like, "Have you seen anything that we should be concerned about?"
