The Subway Crime "Jump"

The latest entry in the nonstop rollercoaster of New York crime statistics focuses once again on the subways-the one place in town where the NYPD will admit the violent crime rate is actually up.

But there is a bright side. Yes, felonies in the subway are running 17 percent ahead of last year, but at the same time turnstile jumping is down about 16 percent, so things pretty much balance out.

In fact, the police, through a fancy bit of reasoning, actually connect the drop in turnstile jumpers with the increase in robberies. See, crooks being crooks, they're more prone to be turnstile jumpers. And turnstile jumpers were very often arrested right then and there, preventing them from going about their nefarious business. But they've gotten wise over the years, see? They've learned that if they actually pay their fare, that'll allow them to get on the trains and steal iPods and cell phones and hit people in the head.

But there's one little thing these fascinating stats don't really take into consideration. When the token was phased out for the MetroCard, many old-fashioned turnstiles were replaced with the revolving door, or "nut-grinder."

So it's much more difficult, if not impossible, to jump a turnstile in most stations nowadays. Also, after selling five iPods on craigslist, most subway thieves can now afford a monthly pass.