The NYPD May Be Sleeping On The Job And Blaming Commuters!

And so another crazy round of ideas has seeped its way into NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton's mind. Following the rash of attacks in the subway system over the past few months, Bratton proposed to wake up New Yorkers the old-fashioned way – you know, the way parents did with their children before alarm clocks became prevalent. His plan is to get police officers to wake up sleeping straphangers because, after all, it's our fault we're attacked, robbed and taken advantage of when riding the rails.

Don't snooze! ©NYDAILYNEWS

This wake-up call is not only the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard, it's also a proposal that doesn't seem to have been thought out too thoroughly.

When I spoke to Canarsien and head of the Guardian Angels Curtis Sliwa last week, he spoke about Bratton's outlandish tactics to crack down on crime in the subway, which is tantamount to what we experienced back in the 1980s. Okay, it's not THAT bad, but when you have innocent riders getting slashed in the face or you have a man sitting across from you who's exposing himself, it's not exactly the most secure feeling to know you're surrounded by some unsavory individuals.

According to Sliwa, transit police don't even ride on trains any more – so where and how is Bratton introducing the hundreds of officers who will patrol every train during the city's rush hours? If they can't afford to provide that security to commuters already, where are these nagging officers going to come from?

If a cop is going to pace any given train and wake someone up, how will they do it? A light tap? A generous push? A shove on the shoulder? And where does it cross the line from the city trying to keep the sleeping straphangers 'safe' and harassing someone who has over an hour commute and needs a little shut eye to function? Hey, there are some heavy sleepers out there! If it takes a good shaking for an officer to wake someone up, that's just a waste of time!

Let's get real! We've all fallen asleep on the train and at the same time, we're all afraid of being victims when we have to ride the rails. I just think a cop waking someone up is a little too hands-on – especially if the train is packed with people who can witness and record a crime going down.

Instead of worrying about waking people up, cops should be back on patrol and following teens or disturbed individuals who look like they're up to no good. There is also a difference between police truly being concerned about commuters and getting the bad guys. Which of the napping nobodies is a dangerous bum and which is a man who just worked the nigh shift and needs some zzzzs?

Instead of being concerned about who's sleeping, police should be following and keeping a watch on the thugs who are on the train in the wee hours of the morning. If the criminals saw them on the train all the time, I'm sure they'd be less apt to commit a crime knowing they'll be caught in a matter of minutes.

What if a cop is waking someone up – or trying to – and the commuter gets into an argument with the cop and the situation escalates? Not only is this a chance for the officer to arrest the person for disorderly conduct or interfering with police activity, if the sleeping person wakes up irate and argumentative, it could lead to an officer getting assaulted and the commuter getting into trouble rather than the hoodlum waiting on the next platform who's equipped with a box cutter and a firearm.

Yes, alerting someone who's all alone on a train car in the middle of the night is a good idea in theory. But, as Sliwa said, some of the proposals put forth by Bratton are out of touch with what train riders really need.

I've been on the 'L' train plenty of times after midnight – from when I was 20 years old and hanging out after work – up until last year when I came home late from a social gathering. I didn't feel like I was in danger and knew that there were a couple of ways I could make my ride safer: stay in the front car with the operator should an emergency occur or ride in the middle cars where the conductor is stationed.

Did you know that YOU, as a straphanger, can prevent yourself from being a victim? Maybe the NYPD should invest in sponsoring community-based courses on safe traveling. When was the last time a transit officer made a presentation at a community meeting about the most frequent forms of crime they've witnessed while on patrol? Maybe hosting special sessions for residents and teaching them tricks on how to avoid being a victim, how to de-escalate a situation when police aren't there is a good practice! Police can't be everywhere! The same way the city hosts civilian training courses that put them in the same situations as police, the city should have transit awareness courses for those moments when they feel they're in danger and no one is around.

Instead of plastering silly quality of life posters all over the trains where advertisements are also on display, spend more money on bringing safety tactics to our communities! Does Bratton not want commuters to be able to protect themselves and fend off a possible attacker? Hey – let's have transit cops actually conduct drills with our community boards, members of CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) and residents in an underground station. Show us what to do if someone is following us in an empty corridor. Show us where to keep our valuables in case we DO fall asleep and some pickpocketing criminal tries to take advantage.

If we're going to be blamed for the rise in crime, at least equip us with the street smarts and tools we need to NOT be victims! It seems like with senseless violence comes senseless solutions. Thanks for snoozing on an effective way to protect our city Bratton! Wake me up when the insanity is over...