NYC set to bolster police presence in the subway system in effort to crack down on transit crime
Updated 3:00 am, Sunday, June 23, 2012
Photo: HANS MARTEL
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, with his Deputy Mayor for Policy and Economic Development Rich Paul, right, talks to Gov. Paterson on the third day of a Metropolitan Council meeting on Tuesday, July 10, in New York. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly poses for a photo with Lt. Gregory A. McCarthy. less
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, with his Deputy Mayor for Policy and Economic Development Rich Paul, right, talks to Gov. Paterson on the third day of a Metropolitan Council meeting on Tuesday, July 10, in… more
Photo: HANS MARTEL
NYC set to bolster police presence in the subway system in effort to crack down on transit crime
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One of the biggest challenges facing New York City is to better protect its precious subway system, and that was a major focus of a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s five-member Committee of Safety, Health and Security, which met Monday.
The committee is meeting in advance of the upcoming opening of the new L train, a $4.7 billion project that has been plagued by delays and cost overruns because of union strikes, and officials are discussing possible ways of making the new trains ready for the public to ride.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Deputy Mayor for Policy and Economic Development Rich Paul are among the attendees.
While the police presence will be greatly improved, Commissioner Kelly said New York City is not going to have the police presence of New Orleans or Chicago, which have had high-quality policing in their subway systems for years.
But Commissioner Kelly also noted how the L train construction has changed the crime profile, with more high-level organized crime figures likely to be using that as their base of operations.
“The question is, which is going to be the crime scene?” Commissioner Kelly said.
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