Mayor Adams Subway Safety Plan Starts Today: Just in the Nick of Time

By Yehudit Garmaise

A safe, clean, and pleasant subway system is one of the accomplishments New Yorkers most hope Mayor Eric Adams, who often states his mission to “Get Stuff Done,” will acheive: as 30 teams of nurses, social workers, homeless outreach teams, and police officers head to the subways, platforms, and stations to prevent crime and relocate homeless riders.

Adams' program does not start a day too soon, as it launches just after the city saw, in the last 24 hours in the subways, four stabbing incidents, which quickly followed the mayor's Friday announcement to significantly increase the presence of uniformed police officers who will enforce a newly written Code of Conduct and issue summonses for fare-beaters.

Additionally, teams of professionals will assist people who are struggling, ranting, sleeping, and otherwise not behaving properly in the transit system.

"The NYPD will join clinicians, social workers and our other partners to link people to the services they desperately need,” said New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who added that subway safety teams will first target the A, E, 1, 2, N and R subway lines. “We will canvass high priority areas on the trains, inside stations and at the end of certain lines." 

After engaging with homeless people on trains and train stations, Adams’ safety teams will escort homeless people to psychiatric beds in hospitals and private rooms in shelters.

The funding for Mayor Adams’ subway safety program is coming from Gov. Hochul, who announced on Friday that she would provide $27.5 million for psychiatric hospital beds, $12.5 million annually for additional beds in shelters for homeless New Yorkers, and $9 million for recruiting psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.