Riding the bus in New York can be an experience — but not always the most positive one. On my last ride, though, I was surrounded by NYPD traffic officers, which felt surprisingly reassuring — at least for someone like me, with nothing to hide. Otherwise, I imagine it could be a little anxiety-inducing…

I usually only see NYC’s traffic police and enforcement agents darting through the city in cars or directing traffic at busy intersections. Today, their presence felt less like surveillance and more like quiet reassurance.