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Subway Crime Hits 16-Year Low as Hochul Pledges $77 Million to Sustain NYPD Patrols

New state money will keep roughly 600 officers in the system each day next year, reinforcing a strategy officials say is driving the decline.

Overview

  • NYPD and MTA data show major transit crime down 5.2% from 2024 and about 14–15% below 2019, putting 2025 on pace to be the second safest non‑pandemic year.
  • The 2026 commitment totals $77 million to fund deployments and overtime for about 600 daily NYPD officers, with patrols surged where needed, including overnight.
  • Commissioner Jessica Tisch credits targeted deployments to platforms and trains, emphasizing flexibility rather than placing officers on every train car.
  • Ridership is up nearly 8% year to date, exceeding 1.2 billion trips and setting a 4.65 million single‑day post‑pandemic high on Dec. 11.
  • Officials cite a “cops, cameras and care” approach — expanded mental‑health outreach, LED lighting upgrades, thousands of cameras and platform barriers at 115 stations — as debate grows over Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani’s push for more social‑service responses after recent incidents.