Gov. Kathy Hochul conceded Friday that there is nothing to prevent New York City subway users from opting for another station to avoid undergoing bag checks in the system, amid a recent escalation in the practice announced earlier this week.
Hochul made the comments during a Friday interview on PIX11, following her move on Wednesday to deploy 750 national guard members and 250 state and MTA police officers into the city’s transit system to assist the NYPD with random bag checks. The searches are meant to screen for concealed weapons that potential perpetrators could use to attack fellow subway riders.