Mayor Eric Adams says subway crime is down, dropping 8% since the start of the year. Despite the drop, he says the city’s controversial metal detector program will soon be rolled out.
While the mayor has not specified where the scanners will be installed, he says they will be put in place at a few stations in the coming days.
The program builds off of efforts to decrease subway crime following a violent stretch in the beginning of the year when several riders and workers were attacked.
Security was ramped up in February as an additional 1,000 officers were deployed underground and the use of technology like security cameras was increased.
Since then, the NYPD says crime has dropped by double digits each month.
The mayor says the transit system is the safest it’s been in 14 years, aside from the pandemic. He adds transit robberies are at an all time low.
The use of metal detectors is already getting push back.
The Legal Aid Society issued the following statement that reads, “New Yorkers want a safe subway system that works. These scanners will create significant inconvenience, adding congestion and delays to an already overburdened system.”.
They went on to say the technology infringes on people’s privacy.