Governor's OfficeTier 1
Hochul tours the National Guard's Joint Task Force Empire Shield mobile command center at Grand Central and pledges to keep enhanced security at major transit hubs; her office notes last year's budget added $45M for the mission and raised the deployment to 1,050 service members
Sept. 21 late-afternoon visit with MTA Police and Guard members. Empire Shield dates to post-9/11; the release is a visibility event six weeks before the election rather than a new policy or funding action. Blakeman has run on subway safety and Hochul's 2024 Guard deployment to the subways was itself contested.
More on public-safety
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Source: Governor's Office · Sep 22, 2026 · Credibility Tier 1 · Permalink https://reviewhochul.com/news/hochul-grand-central-empire-shield-national-guard-2026-09-21
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