NYC to put more police on subway cars and platforms, despite 3% drop in overall crime

While overall crime in the city edged down 3% in 2024, city and police officials said Monday that they plan to put 200 more police officers on trains and platforms in order to make New Yorkers feel safer, especially on the subway.

At a news conference Monday about NYPD’s 2024 year-end crime stats, Mayor Eric Adams said that crime, especially in the subway system, is down but that it was overshadowed by a few, high-profile crimes. He said his priority now is making New Yorkers feel safe.

“ Watching that cop walk through the subway, seeing him present, having the conductor announce there's a police officer on a train,” he said. “All of the things that will allow New Yorkers to feel the omnipresence and feel safe.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said putting more officers on platforms and trains will make a difference.

“That's where the majority of our cops need to be, not in the mezzanines, not at the entrances,” she said. “That's not to say that we won't have cops on the mezzanines and the entrances, but we need our cops assigned where the crime is occurring.”

According to NYPD statistics, overall crime decreased across most major categories. The crimes that increased were felony assault and rapes. Tisch said the rapes statistic increased in part because of a change in the law that broadened the definition of rape starting in September 2024. She also said a greater share was attributable to domestic violence incidents than usual.

She offered little explanation for the rise in felony assault other than that it was "driven by assaults on our officers, domestic violence and stranger attacks."

She also faulted recidivism as a rising crime trend – a problem she blamed on law changes that include bail reform.

“ The key driving factor is the revolving door of our criminal justice system, created in large part by legislative changes that took effect in 2020, “ Tisch said.

Other takeaways from crime in 2024, according to police:

• There were 5% more felony assaults in 2024 than in 2023. Since 2020, felony assaults are up 30%.
• There were 71 fewer shootings in 2024, a 7% decrease from 2023.
• There were 227 more rapes reported in 2024 than in 2023, an 18.9% increase
• Hate crimes dipped slightly overall, but religious hate crimes increased 40%. Among those, there were 22 more hate crimes against Jews in 2024, for a 7% increase over 2023, and 17 more against Muslims, a 65% increase.

This story has been updated with further statistics from the NYPD.