In response to the recent horrifying incident that had occurred in a Brooklyn train station, a meeting was called by Gov. Kathy Hochul. She invited several leaders and representatives of important safety, criminal and public safety departments to discuss and conclude an overall collaborative solution that’ll put a stop to future incidents like this.
The meeting was called in reaction to an incident that involved a shooting inside a Brooklyn subway station on the A train. The shooting, which occurred on a train full of passengers, was documented by several.
The incident started as a dispute between two passengers and then escalated to one of the attackers pulling out a gun, leading to the two passengers fighting to keep the other from firing the weapon.
Unfortunately, the weapon had gone off inside the train at the station, leaving the attacker critically injured and unresponsive in the train car, and dozens of passengers in shock after trying to flee the situation safely.
Hochul addressed the sudden call of the meeting to discuss public safety on New York subways.
“The only way to solve the recent spike in subway crime is to collaborate across all levels of government. Working together with Mayor Adams, police, prosecutors, and transit officials, we’ll make sure every New Yorker is protected,” Hochul said.
The meeting put the priority of the New York citizens first, discussing different approaches for better communication within the five boroughs and the departments within them in correlation with public safety and subway stations.
Hochul’s NYC office had called upon district attorneys, law enforcement agencies, City Hall, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York.
It also included representatives from the New York State Police, Metropolitan Transit Authority Police Department and the New York City Police Department.
New York City Transit President Rich Davey, Assistant Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Louis Molina and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice had been called to the meeting to discuss several plans to solve the recent spike in subway crimes through collaboration and shared strategies.
Included in the strategy, they each had come up with their own initiative.
The MTA decided to hire a new Criminal Justice Advocate to help victims. The MTAPD is creating a new warning system to mark recidivist offenders in the booking process.
As part of the governor’s five-point safety plan, the Subway and Transit Safety Task Force was part of the meeting to assist with the process.
Created by Hochul to improve the cooperation between district attorneys, transportation workers and law police to keep criminals more accountable, the task force will be utilized more in the said domain.
Although there are many measures put in place for the public safety of NYC citizens that seem to be assured they are guaranteed to help New Yorkers feel safe in the future, some residents still have pressing concerns and questions about the current position of these plans.
Some raise the question of these initiatives ever being enough to stop the rampant rise of criminal activity taking place.
Generally, the response of New Yorkers is very divided. Some raise concerns about gun laws and mental health services, while others are glad there is more law enforcement on the ground.
