National Guard Deployed at Subway Stations in New York

The National Guard of the United States is currently deployed at subway stations in New York to assist in performing container inspections with law enforcement personnel of both of the police departments of the city and state, as implemented by the current governor of the state of New York due to recent waves of surging violent crime.

National Guard Deployed at Subway Stations in New York

A “five-point plan” to use resources to protect the people of New York while using the subway system was announced by Kathy Hochul yesterday, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, according to this official press release — which includes:

1. Additional State Personnel to Assist the New York Police Department — 1,000 members of personnel of the state of New York have been deployed to assist the mission of the Police Department of the City of New York to further the effort of enhanced inspections and checks of baggage and containers in areas of the subway system which experience heavy traffic on a regular basis — including 250 members from the New York State Police and the Police Department of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; plus directing the National Guard to ensure that the 750 members currently deployed on Joint Task Force Empire Shield are available to supplement this effort under the supervision of law enforcement. These checks will be targeted at heavily trafficked locations.
2. New Program Bill to Ban Assaulters of Commuters and Transit Workers — Under a new program bill, judges will be allowed to ban people convicted of an assault within the system from using services of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as part of sentencing. A provision is currently in place that allows a ban from using services of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as a term of sentencing for individuals who assault transit workers. This same provision would be extended to include assaults of anyone within the transit system.
3. Improving Coordination Between Law Enforcement and District Attorneys — Regularly scheduled meetings between stakeholders to coordinate information sharing regarding holding dangerous, repeat offenders within the system accountable will be implemented in order to improve coordination between law enforcement, transit personnel, and district attorneys. This will assist district attorneys with their casework and support existing efforts to keep violent offenders off the streets and out of the subway systems. To assist with this process, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will also hire a new Criminal Justice Advocate to assist the victims of crime in the system; and Police Department of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will develop a new early warning system to flag recidivist offenders for district attorney offices during booking processes.
4. New Cameras to Protect Conductors and Staff — In addition to the acceleration the installation of cameras inside customer areas of trains by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, new cameras that are focused on conductor cabins to protect workers will also be installed. These cameras will significantly assist law enforcement personnel as they search for assailants targeting transit workers.
5. $20 Million to Expand the Street Conditions Observation Units Pilot in Addition to the Safe Option Support Program — Since January of 2024, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has deployed a Street Conditions Observation Units team pilot program in partnership with New York City, in addition to the successful Safe Option Support teams across the subway system. Street Conditions Observation Units teams have the capacity to address the most severe cases of mental health crisis within the subway system, and assist the people of New York in gaining access to mental health treatment and supportive housing. $20 million is being directed to rapidly scale this pilot program and bring the total number of Street Conditions Observation Units teams to ten by the end of 2025.

Initial Reaction

Some people are calling what is currently occurring in the subway system of the city of New York as the beginning of martial law…

So they are now using the National Guard in New York City for law enforcement

Isn't this essentially martial law? pic.twitter.com/k1EJ7is85A

— Vision4theBlind (@Vision4theBlind) March 7, 2024

The swarming of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants passing unchecked through the southern border of the United States is one of the reasons for the cause of the recent violent crimes in the subway system of the city of New York, according to some people.

https://twitter.com/Btchen_n/status/1765747427015864409

Meanwhile, this video by Peter H on X shows members of the National Guard searching bags at the entrance to the Grand Central subway station.

The National Guard searching bags at the entrance to the Grand Central subway station. Earlier today Kathy Hochul announced she would send 750 National Guard members to subway stations throughout NYC. pic.twitter.com/ol3z4HxESJ

— Peter H (@peterhvideo) March 7, 2024

Final Boarding Call

Calling what is currently happening “martial law” may be somewhat extreme at this time…

…but will we eventually see the asinine ban of liquids and the removal of shoes — similar to what has been occurring at the security checkpoints at airports throughout the United States for approximately two decades — implemented in the subway system in the city of New York? Will passengers also eventually be required to pass through scanners and metal detectors? If so, how much time will elapse before that happens? Will this lunacy spread to other mass transportation systems throughout the United States? Perhaps security checkpoints should be installed at all border crossings and ports of the state of New York to increase safety?

Freedom of movement is one of the rights citizens of the United States enjoy. To restrict that freedom is counter to the basic principles that are part of the foundation of this country, in my opinion — especially if that freedom is sacrificed by security measures that are designed to placate the populace more than offer actual security…

…and while I am at it, I will reiterate that the time for the ban of liquids and the removal of shoes to cease at security checkpoints at airports should have happened years ago. These idiotic policies and procedures are little more than power trips by certain people and a profitable opportunity for the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies of the federal government of the United States.

I believe that the implementation of this faux security policy is yet another expensively stupid act by Kathy Hochul — and I see no benefit to it whatsoever.

In the meantime, get ready to have your belongings searched if you intend on using the subway system in New York…

All photographs ©2014 and ©2022 by Brian Cohen.