NYC transit leader responds to rising subway assaults by calling for 'certain criminals' to be barred from transit system

In the wake of rising subway crime in New York City, the Metropolitan Transit Authority is calling for "certain criminals" to be banned from accessing the transit system, the New York Daily News reported on Monday.

MTA Chair Janno Lieber wrote judges and district attorneys on Monday, urging them to prevent some violent criminals from accessing the city's public transportation. Lieber asked three high-ranking state-level judges to forward the request for enforcement to judges in the counties that the MTA serves.

New York state judges have the authority to ban individuals from the subway who have been convicted of sex crimes on the transit system or convicted of assaulting an MTA employee.

"We are aware of no cases in which courts have actually used the ban authority created by the Legislature," Lieber said. "That is so despite a steady stream of disturbing, high-profile crimes in the transit system."

Lieber requested that the law be enforced and expanded to reduce subway attacks. The MTA chair noted that riders have been on edge given the rise in transit assaults.

According to New York Police Department stats, as of October 16, subway crime is up 41% in 2022.

"The current statute is plainly too narrow," Lieber said in a letter addressed to New York state district attorneys. "For example, there is no good reason why rider-on-worker assaults are ban-eligible while rider-on-rider assaults are not."

On Saturday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) acknowledged residents' concerns regarding rising crime on the subway. They announced a new plan called "Cops, Cameras, and Care," which will post an additional 1,200 police and unarmed guards at the subway stations daily to provide additional security.

Funds from the plan will also be allocated to expanding crisis intervention training for first responders provided by the New York State Office of Mental Health.

"My number one priority as Governor is keeping New Yorkers safe in the streets, in their homes, in their schools, and on the subway, and we do whatever it takes to make our subways safer for riders," Gov. Hochul said.

"I won't rest until the subway is a safe place for all," said Mayor Adams. "People are saying over and over again, 'We don't feel safe' ... Visibility in the system plays a critical role."