(Bloomberg) -- New York City’s top transit cop will become head of security at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is working to reduce crime and fare evasion on the nation’s largest mass-transit system.
Michael Kemper will start on Sept. 30 as the MTA’s Chief Security Officer after his retirement from the New York Police Department where he served for 33 years. In his last position as Chief of Transit, Kemper oversaw an increase in uniformed police officers throughout the system following a spike in violent incidents on the subway following the pandemic.
Major crimes on the transit system are down 5.5% in 2024 compared with the same period last year, according to NYPD data. Still, headline-grabbing shootings and stabbings continue to plague the system. Kemper will be the main contact between the MTA and NYPD regarding public safety.
“He’s passionate about subway safety and transit safety,” Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chief executive officer, said about Kemper during a press conference Wednesday. “He’s the right man for the job. We’re thrilled he’s coming over.”
Kemper joined the NYPD in 1991 as a patrol officer. He commanded units within the Patrol Services Bureau and Detective Bureau during his tenure.
“I look back fondly on my years of service to this city and its people, especially in my most recent role as the NYPD’s Chief of Transit, working closely with our transportation partners,” Kemper said in a statement. “It serves as the perfect foundation for improving security to an even higher level as I approach crime control strategies from inside the MTA.”
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