NYPD tips for Combating Sexual Harassment on the Subways

This came our way through Speaker Quinn’s office. Some tips from the NYPD.

Below are some important tips from the NYPD on how to stay safe and what you can do if you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted on the subway:

• Do not be ashamed or afraid to report the offense to the police or an MTA employee immediately.
• During off hours, wait at the marked waiting areas on the station platforms and sit in the conductor’s car when the train arrives.
• Know your way around your subway stations: the locations of exits and where stairwells lead.
• If the sex offense happens on a crowded subway car, if you can do so safely, step away from the perpetrator and loudly let others know what the offender is doing.
• If you are in an empty car, leave the car and find one with more passengers.
• If you can do so safely, use your cell phone to take a photo of the perpetrator, or make a note of any distinctive features or items of clothing.
• If the perpetrator follows you off the train, call the police and stay in a crowded area.
• Remain alert and awake.

For more information about the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, Right Rides and Girls for Gender Equity, please visit their websites at www.svfreenyc.org, www.rightrides.org, and www.ggenyc.org, respectively.