Inside the NYPD crackdown on subway fare evaders

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YOU'RE WATCHING THE 5:00

NEWS.

AS MORE POLICE OFFICERS,

STATE TROOPERS, AND EVEN

NATIONAL GUARDSMEN HAVE BECOME

VISIBLE IN THE SUBWAYS, ONE

SPECIFIC GROUP OF OFFICERS IS

FOCUSING ON FARE BEATERS IN AN

ATTEMPT TO PREVENT VIOLENT

CRIMES.

FOX FIVE'S MICHELLE ROSS IS

LIVE IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN. AND,

MICHELLE, YOU ACTUALLY RODE THE

SUBWAY WITH THE NYPD. WHAT ARE

THEY SAYING ABOUT THIS TACTIC?

AND IF IT'S WORKING OR NOT?

NATASHA, IT IS WORKING. LAST

ARRESTS, AND THEY'RE WAITING TO

SEE WHAT THE LARGER IMPACT IS.

BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY FARE

EVASION THAT THE NYPD IS

TARGETING. THEY SAY THE PEOPLE

THAT ARE COMMITTING THE CRIMES

DOWN HERE, MOST OF THE CRIMES

DOWN HERE AREN'T PAYING THEIR

FARES. THEY'RE THEN GOING ON TO

BURDEN THE COMMUTERS PREY ON THE

COMMUTERS, COMMIT VIOLENT

OFFENSES, AND THEN GO ON TO

CREATE LAWLESSNESS THROUGHOUT

THE TRANSIT SYSTEM. ONE AFTER

ANOTHER AFTER ANOTHER, WITH THE

DOZENS OF FARE BEATERS OUR

CAMERAS CAUGHT JUMPING THE

TURNSTILE OR WALKING THROUGH THE

EMERGENCY EXIT TO AVOID PAYING,

YOU'D ALMOST THINK THE SUBWAY IS

AT A COST, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS

MAN.

WHAT? DON'T YOU SERIOUS?

PLAINCLOTHES OFFICERS ARREST

HIM AT THE UTICA AVENUE STATION

AFTER SAYING HE HAD A BENCH

WARRANT FOR A ROBBERY IN QUEENS

IN NOVEMBER, THE NYPD IS ON THE

LOOKOUT FOR FARE EVADERS BECAUSE

THEY SAY IT PREVENTS VIOLENT

CRIMES FROM HAPPENING. THE CITY

HAS BIGGER FISH TO FRY WHEN IT

COMES TO, YOU KNOW, FARE EVASION

AND FARE BEATERS. BUT THIS

PARTICULARLY GOES BEYOND THAT,

RIGHT?

AS I JUST TOLD THE TEAM

THAT'S GOING OUT THERE TODAY, IT

MAY LOOK LIKE A LOW LEVEL CRIME

AND IT MAY START OUT THAT WAY,

BUT REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF

PEOPLE WHO COME INTO THE SYSTEM

WITHOUT PAYING IS ULTIMATELY

REDUCING FELONY CRIME, BECAUSE

THESE ARE GOING TO BE THE PEOPLE

WHO ARE GOING TO HAVE GUNS.

THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE KNIVES,

THEY'RE GOING TO PUSH PEOPLE ON

THE TRACKS.

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR TRANSIT

RECIDIVISTS THOSE WHO REPEATEDLY

COMMIT CRIMES IN THE TRANSIT

SYSTEM. AND CHANCES ARE THE NYPD

SAYS THEY'RE NOT PAYING THEIR

FAIR BEFORE COMMITTING THE CRIME

.

WE RECOVER MULTIPLE FIREARMS

FROM ENGAGING INDIVIDUALS FOR

THAT, WE ENCOUNTER HUNDREDS OF

PEOPLE WITH ACTIVE WARRANTS.

OF THE THREE PEOPLE ARRESTED

THURSDAY NIGHT, ALL HAD

WARRANTS. ONCE A PERSON JUMPS

LOOK THEM UP ON THEIR PHONE TO

SEE IF THEY HAVE A CRIMINAL

HISTORY, WHICH IS HAPPENING

RIGHT NOW, AND HE IS BEING

ARRESTED FROM THE PALM OF THEIR

HANDS. POLICE RUN THE PERSON'S

NAME THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND ARE

IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED IF THEY'RE

DEALING WITH A RECIDIVIST. THE

NYPD SAYS IT'S NOT LOOKING TO

SINGLE OUT RIDERS WHO CAN'T

AFFORD TO PAY. THIS MAN WHO WAS

NABBED WAS SPORTING A MONCLER

JACKET AND GUCCI BAG, A DESIGNER

OUTFIT WORTH A FEW THOUSAND

DOLLARS. BUT BY NOT PAYING THE

$2.90 CENT FARE, HE PUT HIMSELF

IN THE SPOTLIGHT. HE HAD A

WARRANT AND WAS IN POSSESSION OF

THIS PEPPER SPRAY OFF TO THE

PRECINCT. HE WENT TO GET

PROCESSED. NOT EVERYONE WHO WAS

STOPPED IS PUT IN HANDCUFFS,

THOUGH.

YOU NEVER KNOW. MAYBE THIS

PERSON IS A RUNAWAY. NEEDS HELP.

WE CAN OFFER THEM SERVICES.

WE'RE NOT LOOKING. WE'RE NOT

LOOKING TO PUT THOSE PEOPLE IN

JAIL. WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE

RECIDIVIST.

IF THE PERSON DOES NOT HAVE A

VIOLENT HISTORY AND NOT IN NEED

OF SERVICES, A CIVIL SUMMONS IS

USUALLY ISSUED. THIS OPERATION

IS MADE UP OF THE TRANSIT

RESPONSE TEAM, WITH MEMBERS OF

THE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM.

THEY ARE NOT SUBJECT TO BEING

ON A FIXED POST, AT A TURNSTILE,

AT A FIXED POST, ON A PLATFORM,

BEING A SLAVE TO THE RADIO,

ANSWERING 911 JOBS ALL DAY.

THEIR MAIN JOB IS TO BE OUT IN

ENGAGING WITH CUSTOMERS,

PROVIDING A SENSE OF SECURITY.

AND ALTHOUGH SUBWAY CRIME IS

DOWN, MANY RIDERS STILL DON'T

SURE ITS PRESENCE IS FELT.

THESE ARE EXACTLY THE TYPE

PEOPLE THAT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE

A LOW LEVEL OFFENSE AND USE IT

TO GET VIOLENT PEOPLE OUT OF THE

BY CARRYING OUT THESE

OPERATIONS, THEY'RE WORKING TO

IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR

HOME SAFELY. AND IN THE THREE

MINUTES THAT OUR STORY JUST

AIRED, WE SAW A COUPLE OF LARGE

GROUPS COME THROUGH HERE. WE

COUNTED 14 PEOPLE THAT DID NOT

PAY THEIR SUBWAY FARE COMING

INTO THE TRAIN STATION HERE. AND

TO GIVE YOU SOME MORE NUMBERS,

LAST YEAR, THE NYPD SAYS IT

ARRESTED 38 EMPLOYEES FOR

ASSAULTING MTA EMPLOYEES. NOW IF

WE COMBINE THE ARRESTS OF ALL OF

THOSE 38 PEOPLE, THAT COMES OUT

TO 1126 CAREER ARRESTS. WE'RE

LIVE AT THE BARCLAYS CENTER

TRAIN STATION IN BROOKLYN.