NYPD overtime pay for extra officers in the subway went from $4 million in 2022 to $155 million this year, according to city records obtained by Gothamist.
The new spending was part of a push by Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul to reduce crime and crack down on New Yorkers sleeping in the transit system – in part by flooding the subways with uniformed NYPD officers working overtime shifts.
The influx of officers corresponded to a 2% drop in what police call “major” crimes in the subway, including robbery, rape and murder. But the most marked effect of adding officers was a skyrocketing number of tickets and arrests for fare evasion. Police officials said they count that as a success.
NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said targeting fare jumpers saves the MTA money and brings “order” to the underground.
“It’s about correcting behavior,” Kemper said “Stopping fare evaders sets the tone of law and order.”
Kemper said more than 1,000 additional police officers patrolled the subway system every day this year. That’s on top of the 2,500 transit officers already working in the system in the NYPD’s $250 million transit bureau, he said.
Overall, there were 48 fewer serious crimes like murder, rape and robbery reported in the subway system this year than in 2022, according to NYPD data. The biggest change was 65 fewer reported robberies, where someone stole property by using force or the threat of force. There were also seven fewer reported rapes this year and four fewer murders, according to the newly released data shared with Gothamist.
Assaults were an exception, rising by 5%. There were 26 more assaults this year than 2022, according to data.
The boost in fare evasion tickets and arrests was far more stark. Officers made over 1,900 more arrests and issued 34,000 more summonses through September, up roughly 250% and 160% respectively from the same period last year, according to NYPD data.
Neither the mayor’s office nor the governor’s office…
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