Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams today announced a surge in law enforcement and additional safety measures throughout New York City’s subway system. This six-month effort will ensure about 300 uniformed officers are deployed on nearly all 150 overnight trains, with two uniformed officers assigned to each train between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m; the NYPD will deploy the first phase of officers during these overnight hours beginning on Monday, January 20th. As part of her 2025 State of the State, Governor Hochul announced a series of comprehensive new steps to make the transit system safer for all New Yorkers, which included increasing law enforcement presence, investments in safety infrastructure upgrades and strengthening mental health policies.

“I am committed to ensuring that every rider feels safe when they enter our transit system and are on the subway,” Governor Hochul said. “Crime and the fear of crime need to be reduced, and the surge of law enforcement patrol, protective barriers and LED lighting will increase the subway system’s security for both riders and transit workers.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “While our administration continues to reduce crime, both above and below ground, we must do everything we can to prevent random acts of violence and ensure that all New Yorkers are not just safe, but feel safe, too. When I ride the trains and talk to everyday New Yorkers, they consistently tell me they want more officers on the subways and increased support for those suffering from severe mental illness. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her partnership. She is absolutely right that we must continue to prioritize these investments — because public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity.”

Governor Hochul has worked proactively to respond to safety concerns on New York City subways. This included the deployment of more than 1,250 state personnel to assist the NYPD with bag checks and an initiative to install security cameras in every subway car — a goal that was achieved within 8 months of being announced. Governor Hochul knows that more must be done to meet this challenge, and is building on the foundation of earlier initiatives with new investments and program expansions.

These new steps continue the Governor’s ongoing commitment to prioritizing public safety and protecting riders and workers throughout the subway system:

Increasing Law Enforcement Presence Throughout the System

Governor Hochul is partnering with New York City officials to increase the presence of law enforcement throughout the entire subway system for the next six months. About 300 New York Police Department (NYPD) officers will work from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., with two uniformed officers onboard every subway train in service during those hours. The patrols on the nearly 150 overnight trains are expected to last for the next six months. The State and City will jointly cover the $154 million overall cost of deployment, with $77 million coming from the City of New York and $77 million from New York State.

New Protective Barriers To Protect Riders

Governor Hochul will provide the funding to install platform edge barriers at more than 100 additional stations by the end of 2025. The selection of stations for the installation process will prioritize feasibility, including stations with standard car-stopping positions in segments of the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, F, M and L trains. Among these train lines, stations with higher ridership levels and island platforms will be prioritized.

Assemblymember Alex Bores said, “Platform edge barriers are the cheapest and fastest way to both make any station safer and make people feel safer. Knowing that there is a secure place to wait for the train will bring relief. After the MTA successfully piloted them last year, I applaud the Governor for prioritizing the rollout of barriers in 100 stations as part of a comprehensive plan for subway safety.”

Installing LED Lighting To Increase Visibility

The Governor will also provide funding to install LED lighting in all subway stations throughout the system which will increase visibility throughout the stations.

Preventing Fare Evasion

To address fare evasion, Governor Hochul will invest in modern fare gates in more than 20 stations across the system in 2025, and an additional 20 stations in 2026. Additionally, exit gates will delay egress at 150 additional stations in an effort to reduce fare evasion. At the Governor’s direction, the MTA will prioritize stations with higher ridership traffic, accessibility features and those with high fare evasion. The piloted design used in the roll-out was solicited through the MTA’s “Request for Information” to qualify the next generation of fare gates across the system. Initial installation is scheduled to begin at 42 St-Port Authority, Delancey St-Essex St and Roosevelt Av-Jackson Heights.

Expanding Mental Health Partnerships and Resources

Governor Hochul’s Safe Options Support (SOS) initiative has successfully transitioned nearly 850 unhoused individuals into permanent housing and continues to make progress. SOS teams deployed across New York State often encounter individuals experiencing unmet medical and psychiatric needs. To address this gap, Governor Hochul will add street medicine and street psychiatry providers to SOS teams statewide. These providers will deliver timely care directly to individuals during outreach, improving access to psychiatric evaluations and medical treatment without requiring individuals to leave their belongings or seek care in hospitals. This approach will enhance trust, build rapport and encourage individuals to accept services and transition indoors, improving outcomes for New York’s most vulnerable residents.

Additionally — to further help reduce homelessness in the subway system — Governor Hochul will work with the NYC Department of Homeless Services to expand their 24/7 “Welcome Center” model near end-of-line stations and will create spaces within stations that have a large presence of unhoused people for our mobile outreach teams to better connect and coordinate services.

Governor Hochul previously announced a $20 million investment to expand the Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) throughout the system to 10 by the end of 2025, as a part of her five-point plan to protect New Yorkers on the subway. SCOUT teams are trained to address the most severe cases of mental health crisis within the subway system and assist New Yorkers in gaining access to mental health treatment and supportive housing.

The Governor has made strengthening New York State’s mental health system a priority of her administration, landing historic investments in housing for people with mental illness and directing a large increase in inpatient psychiatric bed capacity at state-operated and community-based hospital systems. In addition, her initiatives have broadened prevention services, improved insurance coverage, and expanded outpatient services for people with mental illness.