Following a spate of violent incidents, New York will deploy the National Guard to the subways

Following a spate of violent incidents, New York will deploy the National Guard to the subways.

 

 

On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York talks during a press conference on the growth of illicit cannabis dispensaries. The governor of New York, unable to shut down the numerous illicit cannabis businesses in the state, is requesting that digital mapping and search companies conceal or rename the numerous unlawful establishments. (Stefan Jeremiah/AP Photo)

 

SJ Albany, New York – Following a string of high-profile robberies on city trains, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans on Wednesday to send the National Guard to the New York City subway system to assist police in searching passengers’ bags for weapons.

 

Democratic Congresswoman Hochul announced that she will send 750 National Guard soldiers to the subways to help the New York Police Department with bag checks at the doors of crowded train stations.

 

It serves as a deterrent for anybody considering carrying a knife or pistol on the metro, at the very least. Hochul stated at a press conference in New York City, “They might be thinking, ‘You know what, it just might not be worth it because I listened to the mayor and I listened to the governor and they have a lot more people who are going to be checking my bags.'”

 

The action was a part of a bigger initiative by the governor’s office to combat crime in the subway system, which also included the installation of cameras in conductor cabins to protect transit workers and a legislative proposal to forbid anyone from riding trains if found guilty of attacking a metro passenger.

 

The National Guard’s deployment would support the NYPD’s increased presence in the subway system. In addition, the governor announced that she would be sending 250 state troopers and police officers from the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority to assist with the bag searches.

 

Since a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, crime has generally decreased in New York City, and fewer people are dying on the subway system. Strange fatal shootings and pushing incidents on the metro, however, might make locals uneasy. Trains were delayed just last week after a passenger cut the neck of a metro conductor.

 

Although customers are free to object and leave the station, police in New York have long done arbitrary bag inspections at subway entrances. This has raised concerns about whether the searches are a useful tool for enforcement in a system that handles more than 3 million passengers daily.