Last week, Team 12 Investigates brought viewers on a ride along the 2 train after viewers reached out with safety concerns.

After the story aired, multiple MTA conductors spoke to investigative reporter Katelynn Ulrich about their thoughts on the current state of the NYPD in subways and subway stations.  

Adrienne Walker loves working as an MTA conductor, but says it’s difficult when she needs police and they’re nowhere to be found. She and other conductors and operators told News 12 they were notified by the MTA that NYPD officers are supposed to be on the platform and visible to conductors while patrolling.  

Just the other day, Walker says she needed officers to help her remove a rider who was spitting and yelling, so she called the NYPD. When they told her the officers would be at a certain stop, she says they were nowhere to be found.  

“We get to the next station and there wasn’t a police officer. We had to wait approximately three or four stations until we got a police officer,” said Walker. ‘The police officer was on the other side of the turnstile so I had to honk my horn and get their attention rather than them being at my position when I got into the station." 

Team 12 Investigates asked the MTA if workers were told officers would be on the platforms during their patrols. They first referred News 12 to the NYPD before referencing an October press release stating officers would be present at over 63% of stations during peak hours.  

After the state and city announced the introduction of 1,200 overtime NYPD shifts to staff subway platforms, Walker says officers were nearly everywhere, but that from October to now, that hasn’t stayed constant. 

“Now sometimes I’m riding and I’m like ‘where did they go? That was kind of quick to be over,’” said Walker. “It’s definitely noticeable.” 

A spokesperson for the NYPD told News 12 that officers are deployed at the conductor’s position on platforms, but also throughout the subway system.  

Workers that spoke with Team 12 Investigates say they do see officers during rush hours, but that they want to see more officers when they’re needed the most – after 10 p.m. 

If you need Katelynn to investigate an issue you have, on or off the subways, email her at team12bx@news12.com or team12kln@news12.com.