State pols bid to end fare ‘crime’

TWO STATE lawmakers from Brooklyn say they plan to introduce legislation to decriminalize turnstile jumping cases, a criminal offense predominately affecting people of color with low incomes.

State Sen. Jesse Hamilton (DCrown Heights) and Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant) will propose the measure during the next legislative session.

“No one should face the nightmare of arrest, a criminal record, loss of housing or deportation over fare evasion,” Hamilton said during a press conference Tuesday morning on Eastern Parkway and Franklin Ave. in Crown Heights.

The push comes after Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. announced his office will charge first-time turnstile jumpers with a civil summons and fine. Repeat offenders will get a desk-appearance ticket and a chance to finish a diversion program before going to court.

Soon afterward, the Brooklyn DA’s office announced it’s adopting a similar policy.

The move is expected to drastically reduce a taxed court system.

The number of arrests for “theft of services” has gone down by 19% over the past four years, from 32,667 in 2013 to 26,463 in 2016, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

“Although these numbers are trending in the right direction, criminal records and jail time should not be the result based on inability to pay a transit fare,” a report issued by Hamilton’s office said.

In 2016, almost 92% of those arrested for fare evasion were people of color, the report said. Many spent at least one day in jail, records show.

Under the proposed legislation, turnstile jumping would no longer lead to an arrest and misdemeanor charges. Instead, it would be handled as a civil matter by the MTA’s Adjudication Bureau. The fine for turnstile jumping is currently $100.