MTA board member criticizes plan to divert police from LIRR to NYC's subway system

Nassau County’s representative on the MTA Board on Monday criticized a plan to divert police officers from the LIRR so they could help protect New York City’s subway system.

At the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board’s monthly railroad committee, board member David Mack blamed “poor governance” at the transit agency for the plan to boost police presence at city subway stations, in part by reassigning MTA police officers typically patrolling commuter railroad hubs.

“It’s a disgrace that we have to take MTA policemen — men and women — and put them on transit and the subway. What about protecting our railroads?” Mack, a Great Neck real estate executive and police benefactor, said. “We’re paying NYC. Let them get more police and hire them.”

On Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and MTA officials announced the plan to have MTA police officers at Jamaica, Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal and Grand Central — all current or soon-to-be LIRR hubs — expand their patrols to include adjacent subway stations.

Mack, who has regularly clashed with MTA chairman Janno Lieber in recent months, said the transit agency leader “should have stopped that and stood up and said, ‘We’ve got to protect the MTA first.’  ”

MTA chief safety officer Patrick Warren attempted to alleviate concerns that the plan would compromise security at the LIRR and Metro-North. He told the railroad committee it was “a natural extension” to have MTA police at commuter railroad hubs extend their patrols to adjacent subway station platforms.

Warren said New York State Police have also agreed to “come in and backfill some of the missions” typically performed by MTA police at railroad stations.

“Degradation of security across the entire network is not an option for us,” Warren said.

Officials said using MTA police officers to help patrol subway stations near their usual posts would allow the NYPD officers to cover other subway stations.

The MTA police force was created in 1998 to protect LIRR and Metro-North stations and facilities. Subway stations typically fall under the purview of the NYPD Transit Bureau.

With a rise in subway crime — including nine homicides so far this year — Hochul on Saturday said she would “continue to use the resources of the State of New York [to] bring this violence to an end.”

But crime is also up on the LIRR. Through August, major crimes on the LIRR rose by 73% from 45 crimes in the first eight months of 2021 to 78 during the same period this year. The MTA defines major crimes as murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto.

The plan to ramp up police enforcement in subways aims to add 1,200 police shifts per day in the system.

Asked by one board member how many MTA police officers would be reassigned to also patrol subway stations, MTA Police Chief John Mueller said the department was still putting together a plan.

“A lot of it is going to be overtime to start with, so that we don’t compromise what we’re doing on the commuter rail, which we know is our core business,” Mueller said. “We’re still starting to build out the plan to make sure we have everything covered.”

Mueller also assured board members that the plan would not affect an initiative, announced last month, to create a dedicated unit of police officers to ride on LIRR and Metro-North trains beginning in January.

“We know that it’s very important to this board. We know that it’s important to the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. That program is going to remain,” Mueller said.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.