Blacks & Latinos nabbed the most for fare-beating
Black and Latino New Yorkers make up the overwhelming majority of people stopped by police for subway fare evasion, new NYPD data show.
Of nearly 1,000 fare evaders arrested during the first three months of 2019, some 87% were black or Latino. Of 18,700 farebeating summonses issued during the same period — which did not involve arrests — 70% went to black and Latino riders.
Meanwhile, just 10% of those arrested for fare evasion and 19% of those given summonses were white, according to the data.
While the total number of fare evasion arrests plummeted during the first quarter of 2019 compared with the same period last year — from 2,254 to 992 — the racial breakdown of those stopped by cops points to an inherent bias among officers.
Roughly 90% of the 5,007 people arrested and 68% of the 47,000 riders given summonses in 2018 for dodging the subway fare were black or Latino.
“They [the NYPD] have made no steps whatsoever to mitigate the bias that’s apparent and evident in their policing tactics,” said Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Queens), who in 2018 spearheaded a new law requiring the department to publish data on fare evasion enforcement.
“Nobody should be arrested for fare evasion, period. Those who do jump a turnstile should get a civil ticket,” Lancman said.
Lancman also alleges the NYPD is breaking a city law he sponsored by not providing a full breakdown of stations where fare evasion was enforced by cops.
The NYPD has moved to issue more fare-beating summonses — but cops still arrest some alleged fare-beaters who have criminal records.
Police defend the crackdown, and say the deployment of officers within the transit system is “based on a number of factors” including ridership and citizen complaints.
“The public expects police officers to address offenses when they occur,” said an NYPD spokesman, adding that the department “continues to work closely with the MTA to increase awareness with signage giving people very direct warnings that fare evasion is illegal.”