Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live On NY1’s “Mornings On 1”

March 6, 2024

Jamie Stelter: It has been a violent few days in the city's subway system. Since last Thursday, there have been at least eight violent crimes underground. Among the attacks, a stabbing on the 4 train in the Bronx, a subway conductor, slashed in the neck on the C train, and multiple attacks at Penn Station. That doesn't even count the murder aboard a D train from just a few weeks ago. 

In light of these recent incidents, the mayor says there are more officers in the subways, a thousand more police officers a day. day in the transit system since the beginning of February. There is also a plan to expand bag checks in transit, and also the potential to expand the use of metal detectors as well.

I'm joined now by Mayor Adams and Chief of Transit Michael Kemper to talk about these plans. Mr. Mayor, Chief Kemper, thanks for being with me this morning. I think the first question a lot of New Yorkers have about the bag checks is really about the logistics. How does this work in a city where the commute moves so fast and people are in such a rush to get somewhere?

Mayor Eric Adams: First of all, thanks for having us on this morning, and I just want to reiterate what was mentioned at the top of the broadcast about the rain that's coming in. Heavy rain, so we're asking New Yorkers to be safe in their commute.

We really want to tee this conversation up with this poster board that I created. Look at this for a moment: 38 people that were arrested for assault on transit employees committed 1,126 crimes in our city. 38 people arrested for assault in the transit system, but it doesn't stop there. 542 people who are arrested for shoplifting committed 7,600 crimes in our city.

People are apprehended, prosecutors are doing their jobs, judges must do their job. That's what the criminal justice system is about. And so when we look at the bag checks and other methods, it is part of the overall public safety plan that the transit police is doing under the leadership of Chief Kemper and under the leadership of Commissioner Caban.

Stelter: So, the NYPD did release crime stats from February yesterday, and it does paint a better picture that overall crime is down; transit crime, in particular, down 15 percent year to year. But how much do these numbers matter and the numbers that you were just pointing out on those poster boards when the perception is that these random violent attacks are more frequent?

Chief Michael Kemper, Transit, Police Department: So, yes, you're right. So, January was a very challenging month for us in the subway system. Overall crime was up 45 percent in the month of January, and that 45 percent increase was driven in large part by grand larcenies, pickpockets and property theft crime.

And look, the mayor, Mayor Adams, Police Commissioner Caban have been clear from day one that public safety is their top priority, and significant investments were made right after the month of January. We had deep concerns with what we went through in January, and upwards of a thousand additional cops were infused into the subway system to patrol it starting the first week in February.

And you know, when you look at the return on that investment, it's positive, it's encouraging. Crime was down 15 percent during the month of February. So, it just goes to show the effect that our cops have.

And listen, our cops aren't just out there visible; they're working very, very hard engaging acts of lawlessness head on every single day. I want to say this, just how hard our cops are working; very, very challenging job.

Arrests this year are up dramatically, all areas of arrest: felonies, misdemeanors, weapons possessions, knives, guns, you name it, fare evasion. And also, importantly, to touch on what you mentioned about perception and fear. Engaging those acts of lawlessness that really weigh heavily on our riders' minds, the disorderly behavior, the fare evaders, the smokers; well, our cops are engaging those at or near historic levels. So, our summonses for quality life offenses are also up dramatically also. When we, you know, our cops are going to be remaining focused and continuing to do their jobs.

Stelter: But now at a time when everyone is at a heightened state of fear over these random attacks and you're talking about these random searches now, is there concern about accusations of profiling when you're pulling aside certain New Yorkers? I mean, you've got to make sure that you've got the optics of this under control.

Mayor Adams: Well, no, without a doubt. And as the numbers show, I really want us to focus on those numbers: 38 people, 1,126 arrests in our city. That's just for assault.

So, who we are arresting are the right people. We're not going to go to a system of racial profiling, ethnic profiling. That is not how we police in the city, we're focused on those who are committing crimes.

And as the chief indicated, the bump we saw in January were from grand larcenies, those what we call slush work, is when people are sleeping on the train, they slice their pockets and steal their items or their goods and it's discovered later.

We know that we have to give real information to people about being awake, being alert, and so that we can drive down those grand larcenies. But if we don't go after the recidivist problem, we're going to continue to see small number of bad people doing bad things to good people in the city.

Chief Kemper: If I may, if I could just jump on that.

Stelter: Sure.

Chief Kemper: And the mayor is spot on. You know, if anyone's asking what the NYPD is doing, you know, we're very accessible, we're out there. I'm telling you right now, our cops are out there, they're working hard and they're making arrests at record levels. They're stopping people with these quality life offenses.

The bigger question or the better question is, what are happening to these arrests once they're made? Why are we forced to arrest people 50 times, 100 times, sometimes more than 100 times? There are other stakeholders in the business of public safety, example lawmakers, judges and prosecutors. So, again, I think it's very important that the public realizes that.

Let me give you a quick example. There was a high‑profile, unfortunate incident that occurred a couple of weeks ago in Herald Square with our cello player that was randomly assaulted unprovoked. It took detectives about a week and a half to make that arrest, and they made the arrest of a female.

She was arrested. She had multiple prior arrests in her history. But here's the important takeaway with that. She also had two active bench warrants for her arrest. Those bench warrants were for what? For failing to report to court on open court cases. Against the wishes of the prosecutor, the judge released her, released her on her own recognizance.

Well, guess what? She was arrested again yesterday in Manhattan. So, that example, we could take examples like this and apply it over and over again.

Stelter: Well, absolutely repeat offenders are a big problem. We have reported on that endlessly here over at New York 1.

But Mayor Adams, you brought up people being alert on the subway platforms. We have talked to New Yorkers endlessly about subway safety, regular New Yorkers who say they don't wear ear buds when they ride the subway anymore. They don't stand near the platform edge, they only stand behind the columns now. Some of them, they don't even want to take the train anymore.

Whether it's about repeat offenders, cops, whatever it might be, whoever you want to point the finger at, what is your message to regular New Yorkers who just want to get where they need to go safely?

Mayor Adams: Well, I'm one of them. And as I'm in the system, I know some New Yorkers may have shared with you some of their situational awareness that they're doing, but far too many are also not taking some of those common steps. I see far too many people in front of that yellow line that we should be behind when the train is moving into the station.

We want to do those constant reminders, because when you have over four million riders, simple subway safety tips, make sure your commute is a good safety commute. We're going to do our job of announcements, of handing out information, of doing bag checks, of doing the enforcement that's needed.

It's a partnership here. Far too many New Yorkers would tell me over and over again "Eric, I feel comfortable on the subway system" when I'm down there speaking with them. They indicate that, yes, they read about some of the tragic incidents, but they commute daily without any negative encounters at all.

That's why we leaned into those with severe mental health illness, because we know it does a problem on how people feel about being safe. And that's why we want the only presence of our police. Nothing is of greater level of comfort than seeing that man or woman in a police uniform patrolling that subway station.

Stelter: Well, whatever it is, whether it is the bag checks, whether it is flooding the system with police officers, whatever it takes, we all just hope I think for the same result, the subways are safer, and we see less of these random, unprovoked, violent attacks.

Mayor Adams, Chief of Transit Michael Kemper, thanks for joining me this morning.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.