STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Originally introduced in 2012, a bill that would increase punishment for sexual perverts on the subway is gaining momentum after vocal support from the NYPD and the MTA board.
State Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) said the penalties would go as far as a lifetime ban for repeat offenders and she’s been working with NYPD Transit Chief Edward Delatorre to determine how the ban would work.
“It would be complicated, but they’re putting in the effort into figuring it out,” Savino told the Advance.
“Repeat subway sex offenders are using the trains as their personal hunting grounds. The NYPD supports tougher penalties, including a ban from the subway, for these recidivist perverts who prey on innocent riders,” said an NYPD spokesperson.
“The NYPD thanks lawmakers such as Sen. Savino for their commitment and leadership on this issue,” the spokesperson said.
Additionally, Savino said, the MTA is interested in expanding the bill to cover assaults on transit workers that occur in the subway, as well as riders.
Proving recidivism has become easier, especially within the last 10 years, with the rise of cell phones and cameras, Savino explained.
“We’re able to make the case in a more forceful way that these are not one-off instances. Forty years ago we wouldn’t have been able to prove that,” Savino said.
The bill was moved out of the codes committee last week. Savino said she’s hopeful it will pass by the end of the session.
The bill has been introduced in the Assembly three times with no success.
“The Senate has always been more inclined to increase penalties while the Assembly has been less inclined. I’m hoping the Assembly will act and join the Senate by taking this seriously and raising the penalties,” she said.
SAVINO RELEASED REPORT IN 2017 OUTLINING INCREASE IN CRIMES
In 2017, “Perverted Justice: How Subway Grinders Continue to Victimize New Yorkers,” a report that outlines subway sex crimes since 2014 and how they’re reported was released by Savino.
According to the report, more than 600 women are victims of sex crimes on the city’s transit system each year, 40 percent of which go unsolved.
The report also outlines the increasing rate at which these crimes are being committed.
There were 620 reported sex crimes in 2014, 738 in 2015, and 941 in 2016 – a 51.77 percent increase over three years, the report states.
Additionally, it states: “Statistics this year also indicate that the NYPD has a 44.7 percent arrest ratio of sex crimes reported in the subway, meaning that more than half of cases will remain unsolved, and based on the one-third percentage of repeat offenders, many of these unsolved cases are likely caused by repeat offenders.”
