Governor Hochul Sends National Guard to Patrol NYC Subway

Guard troopsPhoto byBrendan BealeonUnsplash

Governor Kathy Hochul is sending 750 national guard troops to assist in securing the city's subways, following a string of violent attacks. The Guard will be searching luggage and bags at station entrances to look for weapons such as guns an knives.

There will also be increased presence of NYPD officers in the subway system. In addition, New York State Police will add 250 of their officers to assist in searching bags.

Although crime in general is down in New York since the pandemic, assaults, shootings, and slashings have subway riders fearful. The NY Civil Liberties Union came out against the move, calling it an over-reaction.

The plan will expand existing random bag checks of people boarding the transit system, and would seem a logical and reasonable step, certainly less draconian than the high security we see at airports which has become the societal norm.

In my opinion, Trains and busses are a weak link in security that needs addressing. I was in Europe following the Paris terrorist attack in 2016 and it was common to see troops on street corners with automatic weapons. Until a serious, concerted effort is made to curb gun and gang violence, this will probably be the America of the future.