Experienced Attorney and Former Prosecutor Will Ensure MTA Customers and Employees Are Supported During Investigation and Prosecution of Those Accused of Committing Crimes Against Them
View Photos of Kathryn Falasca
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber today announced that he has appointed Kathryn Falasca as the MTA’s first Criminal Justice Advocate. An experienced criminal attorney, she will work with law enforcement agencies, prosecutorial agencies, and community-based organizations to ensure offender accountability through the strongest possible investigation and prosecution of those who commit crimes against MTA customers and employees. Additionally, she will work to advocate and provide support for crime victims in the system.
“Our customers say they want to be safe and feel safe and keeping repeat offenders—who disproportionately commit much of the subway crime— out of transit is essential,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Katie Falasca is the right person with the right background to work with the justice system on behalf of both riders and transit employees.”
“My goal in this new role at the MTA is to serve as a conduit between the region’s public transit system and the region’s courtrooms, and to advocate for transit workers and customers who’ve been impacted by crime while on the job or on their commute,” said MTA Criminal Justice Advocate Kathryn Falasca. “Safety in the transit system is paramount, and we are working tirelessly to ensure perpetrators of violence on our subways, buses and railroads are brought to justice.”
Falasca most recently served as Director of the Strategic Initiatives Bureau of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), where she provided policy recommendations and oversaw projects to enhance prosecutions while working with city and state agencies, hospitals and survivor groups to ensure that NYPD’s investigative practices were victim-centered and informed by the trauma experienced by survivors. Prior to the Strategic Initiatives Bureau, she served as Director and Special Counsel in NYPD’s Department Advocate Office where she oversaw several projects related to members of service who were crime survivors.
She began her career in public service as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office. During her tenure there, she prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases, specializing in domestic violence, rape, arson, homicide and other cases of heightened sensitivity. She has worked with the National Center for Victims of Crimes as well as the United States Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crimes.
She received her Juris Doctor from Hofstra University, where she graduated cum laude and was honored for excellence in public service. She is admitted to the New York State Bar, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.
Falasca’s appointment as Criminal Justice Advocate comes as crime in the subway has steadily decreased year-over-year since the pandemic. The latest transit crime statistics from the NYPD show that major crimes decreased by 7.7% year-to-date through July 2024 in the subway system. July was the sixth consecutive month with a double-digit decrease in subway crime. Last year, overall crime in the transit system fell nearly 3% compared to 2022, as the number of riders increased by 14%. This year, transit crime was down 15.4% in February, 23.5% in March, 23% in April, 10.6% in May, and 15.3% in June, compared to the same months a year earlier.