NYPD Chief of Transit talks subway bag checks

The governor came out and said we're going to do these bag checks. If somebody refuses a bag check, they can't ride the subway, right? So now they get out of the subway, they walk four blocks down, they go down to the next subway station where there's not a bag check, can they get on the train? If there's no bag check there, as long as they pay their fare or enter legally, yes they can. So what is the point of the bag check? For somebody who may have a weapon on their body, not necessarily in their bag, what are you seeing the point of the bag check since it is random? Look, there's a lot of value to doing these bag checks. Just the mere presence of a uniform at the very entrance of the subway station is important to our riders. Our riders love to see cops, they do, and it's going to create a sense of law and order immediately upon entering that station, right? We're going to prevent people from walking in or trying to enter the subway system with explosives or weapons, and listen, I'm doing this a long time, there are not the sharpest tools in the shed that do silly things, that try to do things, and this is a mechanism that's put in place to stop that. This is all about public safety. How many stations, and for how long? So for how long, indefinitely, and we've been doing this. We're doing upwards of 18, 20 stations a day as we sit here right now, and with the mayor's announcement and the governor's announcement, that's going to expand to even greater numbers. The National Guard, a thousand National Guard members deployed to the subway station, we saw some of the video of them with their big guns there at night alongside you guys doing the bag checks. What's the partnership there, and who takes the lead if there is an incident in the subways? The National Guard or the NYPD? So the relationship is strong, so let me say this, Chairman Lieber from the MTA, him and his entire team, John Muller, the chief of police for the MTA, we work with these people every single day. I was on the phone with them today a couple of times, both the chairman and the chief of police for the MTA. We have relationships. The National Guard also, I'm not sure people know, already out, you know, and they're in major hubs, Grand Central, Penn Station. What this plan is, is to increase the numbers and expand them from those quote-unquote iconic subway stations and expand them in greater numbers into the New York City subway system. And don't forget, the National Guard's people, the men and women, they're New Yorkers. Some of them are police officers, some of them are nurses, some of them are firemen. So these are people that come with a lot of training, and again, their presence is going to offer a sense of comfort and safety. I'm out of time here, but just real quick, the bag check stations change weekly? They change weekly. They could change right now. We could pick the phone up and move them in the- Based on? Based on ridership, based on intel threats, but we're a dynamic police department and we take great pride in that. All right. Chief Kemper, I know you're very busy. I appreciate you making the time to talk about this and lay it all out. Important, important topic. Great to see you. Dan, be well. Thank you.