NY Governor praises National Guard for subway security, service to state

NEW YORK --New York Governor Kathy Hochul thanked New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen for helping to decrease crime in the New York City subway system, during a Sept. 12 event at which she highlighted the contributions of New York's military forces.

Speaking at the historic Harlem Armory, Hochul said that crime in the subway has dropped 26 percent, since March, when she directed the New York National Guard to assist the New York Police Department and the Metropolitan Transit Authority Police in increasing subway security.

Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the National Guard security force in New York City, conducts 120 missions each day to assist the police in keeping the system, safe, Hochul said.

At one point, the number of crimes in the subway averaged 50 each week. Last week, that number was 29, she said.

Seeing National Guard Soldiers and Airmen in the subway system has made New Yorkers feel safer, Hochul said.

"I can't tell you the number of people who have approached me on the street, and in diners, and in phone calls, who have said, 'Thank you for putting the National Guard in the subways," the governor said.

In March, following a rise in subway crime, Hochul announced a five-point plan to address safety in the subway system, which 3.2 million city residents use daily.

She announced that police officers, backed by National Guard troops, would be checking the bags of anybody entering the subway system to prevent weapons from being carried onto the trains.

The visibility of the increased police and National Guard presence has also helped deter criminals, Hochul said.

In August, New York City had the lowest number of murders and shootings in the last four decades, Hochul said.

Hochul spoke to reporters, political leaders, and New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen at the home of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, made famous as the Harlem Hell Fighters during World War I.

They got the name from their German enemies, Hochul pointed out, "because they were so tough."

"That legacy continues, that legacy of strength, especially when the times call for it, and also of being the very best," Hochul said.

Hochul also praised the New York Defense Forces, which also includes the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard, a state volunteer force, for always being ready to respond when needed.

When the state faces an emergency, she calls on the state's defense forces, because she knows they will get the job done. Hochul told the Guard men and women in the audience.

"When I say the National Guard is going to be there, even before the disaster hits, I sleep better at night," she said. "Please know how grateful I am for that."

Hochul, also noted that the New York Army National Guard had been rated the best in the nation for recruiting and retention for 2023 and was also rated number one for strength health as well.

Hochul honored four military personnel and two New York National Guard units during the Harlem Armory event.

New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt Joel Strickland and Sgt. Desany Jacques were honored for their actions on May 20, 2024, when they used their training and medical aid kits to help save the life of a subway rider who was stabbed.

The two men were reporting to their security checkpoint at a Queens subway station when the incident occurred.

She also recognized two members of the New York Naval Militia who were on state active duty at hotels housing migrants who had been flowing into the city, when they saved the lives of two children.

New York Naval Militia members serve in that force, while also serving in the Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserve.

Marine Corp. Brian Salcedo was on duty at the Superlake Hotel on June 28, 2024, when a mother began screaming that her child was not breathing. Salcedo applied the Heimlich maneuver, and the child coughed up a dime and started breathing again.

Marine Corp. Patricio Rubilar was assigned to the Bellerose Inn on June 12, 2024, when he was notified by a migrant parent that his six-year-old was choking. Rubilar responded immediately, applied the Heimlech maneuver, and saved the child.

The governor also pointed out, that in a separate incident, Rubilar had used a crowbar to open the door of an elevator that had closed on a child's arm.

Rubilar also played a role in responding to a woman who had slit her own wrists. He spoke to her and calmed her while another military member performed first aid.

The governor recognized Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the New York City security force, which has been on duty in one form or another since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

She also pointed out that there are still 100 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen still serving who were part of the massive National Guard response to that attack on New York.

Finally, she recognized the men and women of the New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing for their service in responding to weather emergencies on Long Island and their role in search and rescue operations in both peacetime and wartime.

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