Originally published in Washington Square News on February 12, 2025 (written by Steven Wang)
Anyone who turns on the news might think that the New York City subway system is more dangerous than ever. Every few weeks, a violent subway crime becomes the subject of alarmist headlines and dramaticized social media posts, sparking panic in many of the millions who ride the subway every day. In turn, politicians call for more surveillance cameras, police deployment and multi-million technologies in the name of public safety. Just last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of 250 more National Guard troops to subway stations, alongside new surveillance cameras in every subway car. Mayor Eric Adams also plans on sending even more police officers into subway stations. As these reactionist policies are enacted, data from the New York City Police Department indicates that subway crime is actually at its lowest in 14 years, showing that the push for more security measures and police presence isn’t based on facts — it’s driven by fear.
To those who watch news coverage of subway crime, these measures may seem necessary. After all, 78% of New Yorkers don’t feel safe riding the subway at night. The most common crimes on subways are theft, assault and harassment. Severe instances of violence are actually quite rare, with felony assaults happening about once in every 2.3 million rides, and shootings happening about once every 190 million rides. Of the violent crimes that do occur on the subway, half took place in just 30 of the city’s 472 stations due to their high ridership. Despite the data, the high crime rates are accepted as reality by many riders, a direct result of exaggerated representation in the media.
Many media outlets disproportionately cover violent crimes, using racial stereotypes and dehumanizing language that induces emotional distress. What is reported as a crime is often just a report of a mental health crisis that escalated due to interference by law enforcement rather than social services. Homeless individuals who sleep in stations due to a lack of housing alternatives are criminalized by the city’s zero-tolerance policy, leading to violent confrontations and removals. Sensationalist coverage of such incidents distorts reality and fuels public panic, which consequently allows politicians to take advantage of these manufactured anxieties to justify implementing costly measures and overpolicing.
One such costly measure is ShotSpotter, a $54.6 million gunshot detection system used in New York City over the past 10 years. A five-year investigation by Brooklyn Defender Services found that ShotSpotter was not only unreliable but also disproportionately targeted Black and Latino communities. Similarly, the CEO of Evolv, whose weapon detection scanners were recently used in a pilot program in New York City subways, admitted that subways are “not a good use case” for their technology due to electromagnetic interference underground. This interference makes it much more difficult for the scanners to be useful and actually identify real weapons. A Bronx hospital using the scanners reported that 85% of positive scans were inaccurate, yet New York City continues to invest in them.
Increasing the number of law enforcement officers in subway stations is just as ineffective, creating more opportunities for racial profiling and harassment that puts Black and Latino populations at risk. Policies like stop and frisk, which allows officers, including those in subway stations, to conduct a search by stopping and patting down individuals who they think look suspicious, have long targeted people of color. Such policies, escalated by greater police presence in stations, would only further erode public trust towards law enforcement.
Despite these flaws, politicians continue to argue for high-tech investments and policing as solutions for public fear. Adams himself admitted that “crime fighting had to be not only the actual numbers, but the perception,” revealing that such solutions are often about optics, designed to make people feel better rather than actually reduce crime rates.
Instead, New York City needs to expand social services to address crises before they escalate. Among individuals with a history of subway violence, 80% have documented mental health issues. Funding affordable housing and worker programs would help prevent poverty driven crime and homelessness, and investing in mental health crisis response teams is essential to make sure people are given resources that will prevent them from committing crimes in the first place.
Fear should not dictate public policy. New Yorkers must resist, or at the very least question, the solutions that politicians and the media are pushing for crime and safety. These expensive measures divert resources away from programs that could make a real difference in New Yorkers’ lives. Crime will never be solved by flooding stations with officers or installing more surveillance cameras; it will only be reduced when the root causes of crime — such as poverty, mental health and addiction — are treated. If city leaders truly want to improve safety, they should be investing in people, not in surveillance.
So we’re spending millions on “solutions” that don’t work just to make people feel safer? But why even bother when we can be using those funding for better stuff like building homes for those who need it
I still don’t feel safe on the subway, though. Numbers can say what they want, but when I see sketchy stuff happening all the time, it’s hard to believe crime is actually down.
I get what you’re saying, but that’s exactly the problem. The media bombards us with crime stories, so even if the statistics say otherwise, we feel like things are worse. But should we really be making policy based on vibes?
what about the people who experience crime firsthand? Are we just supposed to ignore them because the overall numbers are low?
no one is saying crime doesn’t exist. But if we know that over-policing doesn’t help and surveillance tech is unreliable, then shouldn’t we be investing in things that actually reduce crime in the long run?
Yeah but the perception is important too. Some people feel safer with more police like me
It’s crazy how the government always has money for cops and cameras but never for housing or mental health services. Priorities, I guess.
Exactly. They’d rather flood the subway with cops than actually help people in crisis. It’s easier to criminalize homelessness than to solve it.
this makes me so sad after reading all the interviews from this site
If crime is mostly happening in 30 out of 472 subway stations, why are we acting like the entire system is unsafe? Shouldn’t we focus on those areas instead of deploying troops everywhere?
agree but i think the city is working on that so we can spend less money and also make sure its safer!
I still don’t get why we’re spending money on ShotSpotter when we already know it doesn’t work. Who benefits from this?
the companies that sell it
LOL yeah the fear control people to the point where we accept p much anything
Black and Latino New Yorkers are disproportionately stopped and frisked, even when they haven’t done anything wrong. We just consider ourselves but not how other people feel when there are so many police who are staring down just because of the color of your skin
as someone who is Black, I couldn’t agree more. Many people do not take our experience and perception into account because we are a minority group
That’s what i was thinking while reading this because it must be very scary for y’all to experience this daily
Sorry to hear that man. I feel super bad and I hope it changes
I used to be all for more cops in the subway until I saw how they actually behave. I’ve seen them ignore actual fights but harass a homeless guy for sleeping on a bench. Makes no sense.
The other day I saw five cops standing around doing nothing while a guy was yelling at a woman across the platform. ._.
bruh this makes me mad but not all cops are like this just like how all professions have some people who don’t do a good job at it
We have to keep in mind that not cops are bad
Yep! But some policies still exist like stop and frisk that makes cop look bad unfortunately
There’s just so many videos of bad cops going around the internet but we have to remember that GOOD COPS ARE DOING GOOD STUFF TOO.
You want to make the subway safer? Fund social services. Get people off the streets. Give them jobs, homes, mental health care. That’s how you stop crime BEFORE it happens.
THIS THIS THIS. THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING
that takes long-term investment. By putting cops in the subway, the problem is easier to temp solve, even if it doesn’t actually work that well
I agree but we should have a mix of both so the public can feel safe so people actually want to ride it and to address the root of the problem which you mentioned
Crazy how there’s unlimited funding for cops but we’re still struggling to keep essential services running. Schools are underfunded, public hospitals are a mess, so we should also be looking to solve those problems too
I wouldn’t say there is unlimited funding although there is a lot of funding
Yeah but subways are especially important because schools and hospitals have some security while subways are especially vulnerable to attacks and millions use it every day
I want to be a cop in the future as it is my dream profession so if i do become one, I’ll make sure that I protect people and make everyone feel safe
I’m so happy to hear that and best of luck
Thank you!!!!