USA: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has appointed Kathryn Falasca as its first Criminal Justice Advocate.
An experienced criminal attorney, she will work with law enforcement agencies, prosecuting authorities and community organisations to support MTA employees and customers during the investigation and prosecution of people accused of committing crimes against them.
‘My goal in this new role at the MTA is to serve as a conduit between the region’s public transit system and the region’s courtrooms, and to advocate for transit workers and customers who’ve been impacted by crime while on the job or on their commute’, Falasca said on August 26. ‘Safety in the transit system is paramount, and we are working tirelessly to ensure perpetrators of violence on our Subway services, buses and railroads are brought to justice.’
MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber said ‘our customers say they want to be safe and feel safe and keeping repeat offenders — who disproportionately commit much of the Subway crime — out of transit is essential. Katie Falasca is the right person with the right background to work with the justice system on behalf of both riders and transit employees.’
The transport authority reports that crime on the New York Subway has steadily decreased since the pandemic, with July being was the sixth consecutive month with a double-digit decrease in incidents on the metro network.
