On Tuesday, March 5, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City announced an expansion of Subway policing and security in response to an increased wave of violence which has occurred in subway stations and on trains throughout the five boroughs in the past months.

   He’s announced these changes on New York subways will include, among other measures, the reinstitution of bag checks, the hiring of 1,000 additional transit police officers to patrol the stations, and the potential inclusion of a weapons detection system similar to that used in airports in the future. The bag checks, which were first used in 2005 following the London subway bombings, will be used to find any weapons potential passengers may be carrying onto the train. Additionally, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has made the decision to deploy 1,000 additional members of the National Guard and state police to help patrol the subways.

  This move comes amidst rising tensions across the US and an uptick in violence on public transportation in New York City. Since the beginning of 2024, three people have been killed in New York subways, a number that many believe is entirely unacceptable. Other than deaths, there are regular reports of violent attacks in the subways as well as frequent harassment of train riders. Thefts are also a major issue on the subways in New York City and have been part of New York City natives’ concerns for years.

  This move has drawn some controversy, as some feel that while greater subway safety is needed, the move to deploy more police to the stations will ultimately lead to over-policing in the stations and will disproportionately harm Black and Brown riders. Although riders can refuse to have their bags searched, they can potentially be denied access to the subway upon refusal. Additionally, this move has also drawn criticism as Mayor Eric Adams has recently announced several major city-wide budget cuts, including millions in cuts to New York public schools as well as the sanitation department—a move that resulted in so much backlash that Adams rolled back some of the proposed budget cuts with a promise to reevaluate.

  It’s yet to be seen what impact the larger police presence in the subways will have and if it will significantly impact rider safety. However, as of Wednesday, riders already began to see an uptick in the amount of police present during their daily commutes.