Hochul deploys another 250 National Guard troops to patrol NYC subways
![Members of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard, patrol...](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AMjY3YTRiZWUtY2FmOS00%3AMDRjMmFiYjAtMTAxYy00%2Fnyguard241219_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Members of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard, patrol the subway system in Penn Station as police officers check commuters' bags in New York in March, 2024. Credit: AP/Ted Shaffrey
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that she is increasing the number of National Guard troops stationed in New York City subways from 750 to 1,000.
The move is designed to deter crime and make all riders feel safer, she said at a news conference at Grand Central Station.
"Last March, I stood with Mayor Adams and promised to do everything we could in our power to make our subway safer and to deliver on that promise," she said.
Hochul first deployed 750 members of the National Guard in March this year.
While they do not have the power to arrest, they have been assisting law enforcement with bag checks at subway entrances to busy stations.
The decision comes amid a wave of high-profile crimes on the subways, some involving people suffering mental health episodes.
Hochul justified her decision on Thursday by citing a decrease of 10% in crime since the National Guard was initially introduced in March.
"A lot of people didn’t think it would make a difference. It made an extraordinary difference."
As Newsday has previously reported , in 2023, there were 2,285 felony crimes — the sixth lowest of any year since 1997, the earliest year available in the MTA’s New York City Transit Committee monthly reports. But the 570 assaults committed on subways in 2023 was the highest number in more than 25 years, according to NYPD statistics.
Check back for updates on this developing story
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