The NYPD makes the most arrests for a US$2.75 crime
Skipping out on public transport fees made up more than 29,000 arrests last year
The highest number of arrests made by the NYPD is for a US$2.75 crime, according to statistics from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services obtained by the Police Reform Organizing Project.
In 2015, the NYPD made 29,198 arrests for "farebeating" or "theft of services" —when someone hops a turnstile or tries to ride a train without paying the fare. And the number has continued to rise in recent years, according to data previously reported by the New York Daily News.
The NYPD declined to confirm the statistic, but did say that "the prohibition against MetroCard swipes is still being enforced vigorously," with a caveat that "the solicitation of a swipe (if not accompanied by prohibited conduct) is not a violation and not enforced."
MTA rules prohibit "the unauthorised sale of certain transportation services," like offering to swipe someone in using an unlimited MetroCard in exchange for payment.
PROP also alleges that 92 per cent of these fare-beating arrests involve people of color.
"I am not surprised that 92 per cent of the people arrested for 'farebeating' are Black or Latino," Steve Zeidman, a law professor at CUNY and longtime police-reform advocate says. "That said, it is certainly not the case that 92 per cent of the people who 'farebeat' are black and latino."
Instead, the arrests unfairly target low-income people who can't afford subway fare, let alone an expensive fine, according to PROP.