NYPD Transit Chief Kemper headed to MTA as chief security officer

NEW YORK (PIX11) – NYPD Transit Chief Michael Kemper is getting a new job with the MTA, CEO and chairman Janno Lieber announced Wednesday.

Kemper will be the MTA's chief security officer starting on Sept. 30. He'll oversee safety on the subway, the MTA's police department and the protection of major transit hubs like Grand Central Terminal.

“Michael Kemper has been the architect of the NYPD’s hugely successful strategy for reducing crime in the transit system,” Lieber said.

Crime on the subway decreased by 2.9% during Kemper's first year as transit chief, according to the MTA. He also spearheaded efforts to add more police officers, cameras and mental health professionals into the transit system.

Kemper joined the NYPD in 1991 as a patrol officer.