An outdated subway newsstand has been reinvented as an NYPD outpost on a platform on the West Fourth Avenue station in Manhattan.
Uniformed law enforcement officials and Nationwide Guard members at the moment are stationed by the previous newsstand on the northbound platform of the A, C, E strains on the underground advanced that had the very best variety of “observe intrusion incidents” within the system in 2021. That’s when folks trespassed 29 instances onto the tracks there, in line with MTA information.
“If the cops are going to be there for a goal and never simply decide and select what crimes they’re going to battle, then I don’t see an issue with that,” stated Carlos Jones, 60, of Brooklyn, who was commuting by the station Tuesday morning. “The sensation of being secure is an efficient one, too.”
The brand new look is amongst a number of makeovers within the subway system of former retail spots which have taken on new roles as rent-free efficiency areas and artwork shows because the newsstand enterprise has shrunk.
The transfer to beef up the unformed presence in an area that after bought magazines and sweet bars comes as main felonies within the subway have dropped by almost 5% from final 12 months, in line with NYPD statistics. The chief of the Transit Bureau instructed the MTA board final week that “we’re on par to complete one of many strongest years in recorded historical past.”
Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta instructed the board final week that a few of the NYPD’s tactical modifications — together with placing extra officers on platforms and on trains — are delivering constructive modifications within the subway system.
“A few of our change in deployment has helped tremendously, and we’ve seen a shift the place a few of our crime has moved from the platform [and] the prepare as much as the mezzanine,” Gulotta stated.
The top of the MTA stated riders have responded positively to the NYPD’s efforts to chop crime within the subway.
“The rider surveys are telling us that individuals really feel a lot safer on the system,” Janno Lieber, the MTA chairperson and CEO, stated on the November board assembly. “They at all times need to see extra cops.”
Assaults and harassment in opposition to transit employees have dropped, as nicely.
In accordance with MTA information, there have been 421 situations of assault and harassment in opposition to transit employees for the reason that begin of 2025 — down from 539 over the identical time interval in 2024. Whereas Transport Staff Union Native 100 leaders have repeatedly referred to as for extra police in stations and on platforms, a union spokesperson declined remark Tuesday.
On the West Fourth Avenue platform, the area contained in the newsstand has been renovated with white subway tiles, a pair of NYPD defend logos, a steel bench and a desk-like space the place officers can sit.
“As a feminine, it’s actually extra comforting to have some type of authority to be right here,” stated Breana Ramos, 22, who makes use of the station day by day. “These days, there’s a whole lot of weirdos that come out at night time.”
The NYPD declined to reply to questions from THE CITY about officer staffing or hours of operation on the former subway newsstand or deal with whether or not different out-of-use retail spots might quickly even be utilized by police elsewhere within the system.
“It’s necessary that police be keeping track of people who find themselves within the subway,” stated Fernando Concepcion, 75, of The Bronx, who was ready for a prepare at West Fourth Avenue on Tuesday morning. “It’s going to make a whole lot of riders really feel safer.”
An MTA spokesperson declined to say what number of of its subway platform retail areas will not be presently in use or whether or not others will doubtlessly be utilized by the NYPD. In June, the transit authority stated that it had leased 63 of 203 subway retail areas, which additionally embody areas not on station platforms.
The top of the Everlasting Residents Advisory Committee to the MTA, Lisa Daglian, praised the try to make new use of a subway newsstand that even final 12 months was nonetheless displaying pre-pandemic journal covers.
“The MTA is constant to seek out inventive and lively reuse for vacant areas within the subway,” Daglian stated. “On this case, it’s additionally additional including to public security and a way of safety.”
Further reporting by Mia Hollie.
