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New York Post
Weapons scanners ‘coming soon’ to NYC’s subways as officials tout transit crime dip
By Haley Brown, Matt Troutman,
3 hours ago
Straphangers could see weapons scanners in the subways in the next few days, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday — as officials touted a dip in crime in the city’s beleaguered transit system.
“It should be rolled out in the next few days to do our initial implementation” at a handful of stations, Adams told reporters at the Fulton Center transit hub.
He only offered that the NYPD had reached the end of a 90-day wait required by the city’s surveillance law to start testing the technology.
“Coming soon,” he said.
City Hall and NYPD officials declined to provide more specifics about when and where the weapons detectors will appear.
The detail-free reveal about the scanner tests came during a news conference in which Adams and MTA honcho Janno Lieber contended that the transit system is getting less violent, citing recent statistics.
Adams said that crime in the subways so far this year is down nearly 8% compared to 2023. Those crimes dropped 44% this week alone compared to the same time frame last year, he said.
One unhinged ruffian was fatally shot with his own gun after he attacked a man on a rush-hour train — a harrowing incident that came just days after Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard into subways to perform bag checks.
The 20% surge in subway crime during the first two months this year faded as Adams and Hochul doubled-down on safety measures, including sending more cops into the subways.
“It is not the dystopian hellscape that our friends in the tabloid media sometimes portray,” Lieber said of subways.
Transit crime is down nearly 8% this year after a worrying spike to begin 2024. AP
One 94-year-old straphanger, who didn’t want to give his name, said he’s all for scanners.
“Because the world is what it is,” he said.
But another subway rider, Reid Simmons, wasn’t so sure.
“I don’t even care I just want a train,” the 44-year-old said.
Additional reporting by Hannah Fierick
For the latest metro stories, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/metro/
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