News

NEW YORK, NY April 28, 2005 —The Transit Authority says extra police added to buses and subways ended an uptick in crime, but that thefts of portable MP3 players and cell phones are still sharply on the rise.

There was an 18 percent rise in bus and subway felonies during the first quarter of the year.

But police say they turned the tide in April; so much so that year to date, there would have been fewer crimes than during the same period last year if thieves weren't swiping so many cell phones and Ipods.

A total of 215 of these electronics were taken through mid-April- compared to just 82 cell phones during the same period last year.

The Transit Authority is planning a new advertising campaign to warn passengers. One sign says, "Earphones are a giveaway." But the TA says the earphones in the ad aren't white, to avoid singling out the Ipod.