The NYPD on Monday claimed to have issued “very few” fines to subway and bus riders who won’t wear masks, but refused to provide an exact number.
Speaking to MTA board members on Monday, NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Kathleen O’Reilly insisted that the NYPD’s enforcement is focused on getting riders to mask-up as opposed to issuing $50 tickets in accordance with state law.
“I can assure you that we’ve issued very few of those,” O’Reilly said after board reps repeatedly pressed her for the number of mask-noncompliance summonses issued.
“What I’ve told my cops to do is to make sure you carry masks with you, make sure you wear your mask — and if you encounter somebody on the train, offer them a mask,” she said. “Ninety-nine percent of the people that we encounter that are not wearing a mask will take a mask, and they will put that mask on when the officer requires them to do so.”
“I can get you a breakdown at a later date,” O’Reilly said before teeing off the number of summonses for fare evasion, smoking, littering and public urination.
Federal law requires masks on public transportation in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect vulnerable riders. But the most recent MTA survey from November found just 80 percent of bus riders and 77 percent of straphangers wore masks correctly. More than one in 10 subway riders were unmasked, the survey found.
“Mask compliance is good,” board rep Randy Glucksman told O’Reilly on Monday, “But it really needs to be better.”
The MTA’s in-house police force has issued 76 mask summonses since former Gov. Andrew Cuomo instituted the noncompliance fine in September 2020, according to figures shared with The Post. MTA cops have also had over 48,000 interactions with riders who complied with the face covering rule upon request.
MTA police primarily patrol the commuter railroads, while buses and subways are the jurisdiction of the NYPD.
An NYPD spokesman on Monday wouldn’t provide any additional mask enforcement data, referring The Post to O’Reilly’s comments.
“Garnering voluntary compliance is the best approach for everyone, and we find that almost every time we encounter someone who isn’t wearing a mask, when we ask them to put one on, they comply,” Sgt. Edward Riley said in a statement. “We’re focused on the end result, compliance with the mask mandate, and this has been a very effective approach.”
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy
