Bernie Kerik Tells Newsmax that Hochul’s Subway Security Efforts are ‘Theater’
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to deploy the National Guard for subway security, calling it “theater” during an interview with Newsmax on Friday.
“I put out a tweet last week saying that the whole scenario with the New York governor was a farce. It was all theater. You know, some thug that wants to carry a gun on a subway … not doing it in a backpack,” Kerik said on “Carl Higbie FRONTLINE.”
Kerik shifted to discuss the crime reduction history in New York City, emphasizing the strategies employed during former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration.
“In 1994, when Giuliani took over New York City, we realized very quickly that more than 50% of the people stopped for jumping turnstiles were actually wanted felons or had guns on them,” Kerik said.
“Had we flooded the system like we did in ’94, you would have had this guy before he got on that train,” he said, referring to a recent incident on a New York subway.
On Thursday, a 36-year-old man entered a subway station through an emergency exit without paying and boarded a train around 4:30 p.m. About 10 minutes later, he began arguing with a 32-year-old rider. The situation escalated, with the 36-year-old displaying a gun after being stabbed by a woman accompanying the 32-year-old, as reported by NBC New York reported.
The shooting occurred amidst heightened concerns about subway safety following a series of high-profile crimes. Just a week earlier, Hochul announced the deployment of the National Guard to aid police in screening individuals for weapons in the subway system.
In response to the incident, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office declared that they would not prosecute the 32-year-old rider who allegedly disarmed and shot the fare-beater during the altercation. The shooter fired four rounds as the train approached the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop, injuring the 36-year-old man, who was last reported to be in critical condition.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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