NYC transit heads want triple the number of extra cops in subways after A-train rampage
'We believe more is needed,' New York transit officials said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The MTA is asking for 1,500 additional cops to be assigned to the city’s beleaguered transit system — triple the number the NYPD said it would send in by Monday.
Police brass vowed Saturday to put at least 500 more cops in the system after a homeless man launched a random weekend slashing rampage that left two people dead and two guys wounded.
"We believe the additional 500 officers you agreed to dedicate to the subway system is an important first step, which will help ease the fears of customers and heroic transit workers who serve this city every day," MTA Chairman Pat Foye and Interim Transit President Sarah Feinberg said in an open letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Sunday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NYPD MAKE ARREST IN SUBWAY STABBING SPREE THAT UPPED PATROLS BY 500 OFFICERS
"We believe more is needed, however, and so we are writing today to request an additional 1,000 NYPD officers be assigned to the Transit Bureau to patrol subways and buses immediately," Foye and Feinberg wrote.
"We request teams of uniformed officers be assigned to every station and that officers ride the system throughout the day and during the overnight to ensure the safety of our customers and colleagues."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CUOMO RENEWS CALL FOR NYPD FEDERAL MONITOR, CHALLENGES MAYORAL CANDIDATES ON POLICE REFORM
The letter noted that there has been "a disturbing trend" in increasing assaults in the transit system despite an overall dip in city crime — even with a 70 percent drop in subway ridership and a 50 percent decline in city bus riders.
"Assaults on our workers, from harassment and threats to physical violence, continue to occur far too often," Foye and Feinberg wrote. "Every single one of these occurrences is one too many."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The bloody weekend slashings on the A Train line marked the latest in the recent rash of transit violence. Rigoberto Lopez, a 21-year-old homeless man, was arrested in the attacks.
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City Hall rep Avery Cohen told The Post in an e-mail Sunday, "The City is immediately surging 500 officers to keep New Yorkers safe in our trains, stations, and platforms.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They will work hand in hand with the thousands of officers and outreach workers who already do this work in our communities and subways every day."
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.