2008 Woodie Awards
Subways Safest than they Have Been Since 1969
Jenny Erasmus
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: News
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New York City transit recently announced that city subways are safer than they have been in the past 36 years.
Surveillance cameras, undercover police officers, and sting operations have had the greatest effect on subway crime decrease. As a result, crimes are down 18.6% compared to last year. In the beginning of the summer, felony assaults alone were down 29%.
A combination of former mayor Rudolf Guiuani's city-wide safety improvements in past years and increased anti-terrorist security have also contributed to the reduced amount of crime in the Manhattan subway system.
Police have arrested numerous criminals after referring to videotapes from surveillance cameras. A majority of the cameras were first installed after September 11. Since then, the cameras have given police the ability to track down criminals charged with everything from robbery, to stabbings, to sexual assault.
There are approximately 2, 500 cameras in the subway systems, mainly located on mezzanines and platforms. Cameras will be placed on city busses beginning in November. Officials would like to do the same for subway cars, but there are currently no plans for this to happen.
There are hundreds of cops monitoring the subways daily. Both undercover and uniformed officers patrol underground and at subway entrances keeping an eye out for offenders.
Ryan Carney, a junior at Manhattan College, has been working in the Admissions office giving tours for the past three years. He is convinced the new information about subway safety will be most comforting to students interested in coming to this school.
"On tours families, are always asking about the safety of the campus, the neighborhood, the city and subways," he said. "It's nice to be able to give them an honest and reassuring answer about how safe it really is."
Manhattan College students have evidently taken notice of the increased amount of officers. Students have been fined for countless crimes such as transferring cars when the subway is in motion and taking up more than one seat. It is evident that police are often monitoring and cracking down.
Surveillance cameras, undercover police officers, and sting operations have had the greatest effect on subway crime decrease. As a result, crimes are down 18.6% compared to last year. In the beginning of the summer, felony assaults alone were down 29%.
A combination of former mayor Rudolf Guiuani's city-wide safety improvements in past years and increased anti-terrorist security have also contributed to the reduced amount of crime in the Manhattan subway system.
Police have arrested numerous criminals after referring to videotapes from surveillance cameras. A majority of the cameras were first installed after September 11. Since then, the cameras have given police the ability to track down criminals charged with everything from robbery, to stabbings, to sexual assault.
There are approximately 2, 500 cameras in the subway systems, mainly located on mezzanines and platforms. Cameras will be placed on city busses beginning in November. Officials would like to do the same for subway cars, but there are currently no plans for this to happen.
There are hundreds of cops monitoring the subways daily. Both undercover and uniformed officers patrol underground and at subway entrances keeping an eye out for offenders.
Ryan Carney, a junior at Manhattan College, has been working in the Admissions office giving tours for the past three years. He is convinced the new information about subway safety will be most comforting to students interested in coming to this school.
"On tours families, are always asking about the safety of the campus, the neighborhood, the city and subways," he said. "It's nice to be able to give them an honest and reassuring answer about how safe it really is."
Manhattan College students have evidently taken notice of the increased amount of officers. Students have been fined for countless crimes such as transferring cars when the subway is in motion and taking up more than one seat. It is evident that police are often monitoring and cracking down.