Hochul on Wednesday announced she was deploying a force of 1,000 law enforcement officials, including 750 National Guard members, and 250 state police and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers, as part of a “five-point plan” to improve subway safety—the personnel started being seen in subway stations this week.

The decision came after a series of high-profile crimes across the transit system, including an incident this week in which a teenage girl was beaten after a dispute and another in which a 64-year-old man was kicked onto the subway tracks.

There’s been a 13.1% increase in transit crimes as of March 3 compared to the same period last year, according to New York Police Department data.

But the presence of National Guard troops at subway stations drew criticism from a broad range of voices—the city’s Public Advocate Jumaane Williams suggested the deployment amounted to “posturing to look tough on crime” instead of dealing with the root issues of crime, and NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said “our transit system is not a ‘war zone.’”

Hochul has defended the decision as a measure to help people feel safer on the subway, and she has support from some New York Democrats, like recently elected Rep. Tom Suozzi.