An unwanted grab or grope is a woman’s worst nightmare while riding the rails – and they’re happening more and more.
Complaints of sexual abuse in the subways have increased four percent from 2008 to 2009, even though police have arrested six percent fewer of the slimeballs who take advantage of women in crowded subway cars, NYPD Transit Chief James Hall told a City Council panel today.
Manhattan is the worst borough, with 374 out of 587 complaints this year happening on the island, and many of the creeps prefer to operate between stations at Grand Central Terminal and 14th Street, Hall said.
Molesters also prefer the crammed cars during the morning and evening rush hours, Hall said.
“This should not be a part of commuting in New York,” Hall said. “It’s an under-reported crime.”
Hall added that the arrest rate for 2009 will likely increase with the approaching holiday season.
But vigilant victims have started snapping photos of creepy perverts, and Councilman Peter Vallone encouraged school-aged girls to carry cell phones when riding the subway.
“I’d like to see a wall of shame,” Vallone said. “Posting pictures of people convicted, especially with 20 percent recidivism … would be a useful deterrent.”
Hall said those photos were a huge help, but that women should report incidences even if they don’t have digital evidence.
“At a minimum, a report alone allows us to deploy more effectively” to problem stations, he said.
Hall added that undercover officers are on the rails every day spotting and arresting perverts. But some council members wanted him to do more.
“That’s a drop in the bucket of what should be done,” said Comptroller-elect John Liu.