No More Laying on Subway Seats: 'This Isn’t a Psychiatric Hospital!'

By Idy Perl

NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch announced a new “quality of life” police division which will target low level crimes that impact the quality of life for New Yorkers, such as aggressive panhandling, public urination, vehicle abandonment, and the like. 

A similar program was recently launched on the NYC subway system that focused on enforcing rules against smoking, drinking alcohol, or lying on subway seats, to enhance the subway experience for all passengers. 

“Our work must not only make people safe, but it must make them feel safe too,” Tisch said at the department's annual state of the NYPD speech. “Our officers will not simply walk by someone who is violating the law and disrupting passengers. We are going to correct the condition. Our subway trains and platforms are not homeless shelters. They are not psychiatric hospitals. As a city, we have a moral duty to provide services to people who need them.”

The new program will be rolled out throughout the city in the coming months.