Gov. Hochul wants a cop on every overnight NYC subway train

Police officers would be aboard every overnight train in New York City for the next six months under a new subway safety plan New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled on Tuesday.

The governor’s plan, part of her 2025 State of the State address, comes as a string of high-profile violent incidents on the city’s subway system have renewed fears among riders, even as overall subway crime decreased last year.

In her speech, Hochul pledged to “surge law enforcement” on the subways by putting officers on every train running from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

“The state will support these efforts financially because we have to stop the chaos,” she said.

Hochul didn’t reveal how much the state intends to spend on the effort. Those details are expected when she unveils her state budget proposal next week.

Hochul’s push comes about a week after New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the NYPD’s plan to put 200 more police officers on trains and platforms. The governor’s plan goes a step further, putting what her office calls a “police patrol" on each overnight train.

Major crime in the city was down about 3% last year compared to 2023, according to the NYPD. In the subway system, it was down about 5%.

But felony assaults increased by 5% and were up 30% from 2020, police data shows. And several horrific crimes in the subways have dominated headlines in recent weeks, such as when a man allegedly lit a woman, Debrina Kawam, on fire and killed her on an F train in Brooklyn last month.

In a statement, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Hochul’s plan will allow for two officers to ride every overnight train. But she said more needs to be done to deal with the ongoing issue of repeat offenders who commit a disproportionate number of crimes in the subways, which she called the “root of the issue.”

“We must stop the revolving door of our criminal justice system that has allowed too many violent and repeat criminals back onto our streets,” she said.

Some Democratic lawmakers responded positively to Hochul’s plan, including Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers).

Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat who represents parts of Manhattan, said having a police officer on subway trains will “go a long way toward allaying concerns.”

“More officers on the rails is something I've heard from my constituents,” he said before Hochul’s speech. “They want to look and see that it's safe, and there's nothing more apparent than an officer being on the platform or being on the train to make that happen.”

The governor's effort comes as the state continues to deploy more than 1,000 National Guard members in the subway system, where they have been doing random bag checks as riders enter certain stations in recent months.

Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, a Buffalo-area Republican, said he supports adding police to the subways in theory. But he said he wants to know more about how the state is paying for it and whether there are enough police officers to pull it off.

“It sounds nice,” Ortt said. “But are we going to be able to actually accomplish this while keeping cops in other places they need to be in the city of New York?”

Hochul’s plan drew criticism from one of her potential political opponents, as well.

Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat considering a primary challenge against Hochul next year, noted Kawam was killed on the subway in the morning.

“Governor Kathy Hochul will only pay for an ‘overnight’ police presence in every subway train,” he posted on X, a social media platform. “What about the daytime?”

This story has been updated. Jimmy Vielkind contributed reporting.