Public safety in big blue cities has taken a hit in recent years as radical policy has taken root.
But every glimmer of good news is a cause for celebration.
And now Eric Adams’ transit chief has made a shocking admission about NYC Subway crime that has leftists stunned.
There’s some good news to be reported from the Big Apple.
The New York Post reports that New York City subway crime has dropped so far this year to levels not seen in decades aside from the pandemic.
“We’re proud. This is real progress”
According to Police Department data, crime on the subways is down 21.5% year to date compared to the same period in 2022.
Every category of serious felonies but one in the underground system showed a decrease, as burglaries remained flat at two.
Transit Chief Michael Kemper said, “Obviously, crime is down. We’re proud. This is real progress.”
But in a shock to the leftist worldview there is a simple explanation for the fortuitous turn of events.
It turns out that cops have significantly ramped up their crackdown on fare evasion, doling out nearly 10,000 more summonses in 2023 than at the start of last year.
Kemper says that proactive policing on minor offenses as well as serious crimes is helping to drive the recent decrease in overall crime.
The beginning of 2023 saw the lowest levels of felony crime on subways dating back to the 1990s, setting aside the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kemper said, “I want to be clear, and I gotta give credit where credit is due: This is a direct result of the hard work of the men and women of the NYPD. I think there’s so much to just the increased presence to deter crime. But focusing on quality of life, whether it’s fare evasion, whether it’s disorderly conduct, whether it’s smoking, just setting the tone of law and order in the subway system is absolutely part of the reason.”
The progress in 2023 happened as a direct result of the increased presence of police that started in October.
Prior to that, crime in the transit system was up more than 40% for the year.
The city’s larger crime problem remains
Of course, improvement on the Subway doesn’t mean that New York’s crime problem has vanished.
Far-Left Governor Kathy Hochul simply isn’t taking the problem seriously, and NYC Mayor Eric Adams seems to be focusing on particular areas he’s gotten bad press over.
Meanwhile, other leaks in the dam still have citizens living in fear as they’ve grown thanks to lax prosecutions and cashless bail.
For example, the recent “wolfpack” attack on a Queens Chinese restaurant.
The Daily Mail reported, teenage vandals left around $20,000 in damage and staff saying they are “increasingly unsafe” as crime continues to plague the city.
Security footage caught the rampage of masked youths ransacking the Fish Village restaurant during a dinner rush last weekend.
Midnight Rider Channel 🇺🇸, [Mar 8, 2023 at 5:52 AM]
Watch terrifying moment 'wolfpack' of more than a dozen teens storm through a Queens Chinese restaurant causing $20,000 of damage – as scared staff member blasts city for 'getting less and less safe' https://t.co/5oW5H0vL9S pic.twitter.com/l5GCzAEp6w— Godsfearless1 (@CyndiJohnson19) March 8, 2023
The encouraging news from the Transit Chief shows that effective policing pays dividends.
The next necessary step is for New York politicians to stop hampering reasonable prosecution of criminals.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
