Res 1058-2019

By Council Members Yeger and Holden Whereas, According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), there were 573 sex crime complaints from persons riding public transit; and Whereas, According to the police department, while crime in the City's subway system has trended downward significantly over several years, there is a small group of recidivist offenders who repeatedly commit sex crimes in subways; and Whereas, The NYPD's Transit Anti-Crime Unit deploys plainclothes police officers throughout the city's subways who surveil trains and stations for perpetrators; and Whereas, While the police department made 196 arrests in 2018 for incidents involving sex crimes on the subway system, some defendants return repeatedly and continue to sexually abuse others; and Whereas, Sex crime perpetrators in the subway system are most commonly arrested for forcible touching and public lewdness, which are classified as misdemeanors punishable by up to 1 year in jail; and Whereas, According to the New York Post, nearly a dozen individuals continue to repeatedly victimize people in the subway despite their previous arrests, having been arrested on average 17 times for sex-related crimes; and Whereas, Many of these individuals are registered sex offenders; and Whereas, In June 2019, the Metropolitan Transit Association (MTA) passed a resolution in support of banning criminal recidivists from the subway system for, repeat sexual offenses for a period of time; and Whereas, In this resolution, the MTA highlighted a need for law enforcement to have additional tools and support to address the issue of serious recidivists, as they have very limited ways to respond before the abuse occurs; and Whereas, According to the New York Times, Governor Andrew Cuomo has also expressed support for a ban with specified timeframes for persons with two or more convictions of sexual assault on the subway; and Whereas, According to the New York Post, Commissioner James O'Neil has indicated support for a ban of recidivist sexual abusers; and Whereas, The City must ensure the safety of all persons who rely on our public transit system; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation that would ban recidivist sexual offenders from mass transit. LS# 10360 08/22/19 CMA