Schumer: Boost Communication After Penn Station Stampede

NEW YORK (AP) — Sen. Charles Schumer said that the stampede that injured 16 people at New York’s Penn Station just over a week ago shows a need for better coordination between law enforcement agencies at transportation hubs. The New York Democrat on Sunday called for rail security improvements including the establishment of a joint command at Penn Station so law enforcers can communicate with each other better. “The next Penn panic could be an actual disaster, not just a wake-up call,” Schumer said. The stampede erupted on April 14 following false reports of gunshots at the station, which was even more crowded than usual because of a New Jersey Transit train that was stuck in a tunnel under the Hudson River for nearly three hours. The gunshot rumors were triggered by an Amtrak police officer’s use of a stun gun to subdue a disruptive man. An Amtrak spokesman said afterward that the use of the stun gun was consistent with departmental policy allowing officers to subdue a potentially violent person. Schumer compared the panic that ensued to a stampede last August at New York’s John F.