New York governor deploys National Guard to subway system

On Wednesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a five-point plan designed to make the New York City subway system safer. That plan includes deploying 750 members of the National Guard along with 250 officers from the New York State Police and the MTA Police Department to conduct enhanced baggage checks in heavily trafficked areas. More cameras will be installed near the conductor cars to protect transit workers. Hochul also announced a new bill that would ban anyone convicted of an assault in the subway system from accessing the system as a part of their sentence.

What happened to warrant this new plan? The plan was prompted by a recent string of violent crimes occurring in the subway system. Last week, a passenger slashed a conductor in the neck with a knife. Last month, one person died and five others were wounded in a shooting that started on a subway car.

Dig deeper: Read Grace Snell and Elizabeth Russell’s report about how New York City is grappling with its immigration policies in WORLD Magazine.