New York City plans to test gun detection technology in subway system in response to the increase in traffic crimes, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday.
The announcement comes after the city increased 1,000 officers and the state deployed National Guard members to the subway system in recent weeks as part of security measures following several high-profile crimes.
This initiative joins the police officers who were mobilized last month to guard stations in the five boroughs of the city and another 800 who were deployed to prevent evasion of paying the fare.
The announcement comes after the most recent shooting, which occurred in a subway car in the middle of this month and which ended with a gunshot wound to the head and scenes of panic among the passengers.
This incident occurred a day after the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, mobilized national guard troops to join the surveillance at the stations.
“We’re taking the next step forward in our ongoing efforts to make our subway even safer and ensure New Yorkers feel safer on the transportation system,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
The technology will not be implemented for several months. Under the Surveillance Technology Public Oversight Act, there is a 90-day waiting period before the technology can be implemented, the city said.
During the waiting period, the NYPD will work to identify suppliers of weapons detection technology for the pilot, the city said. The public can also comment on the pilot program during the first 45 days of the waiting period, the city said.
The pilot program will be implemented in some subway stations “where the NYPD will be able to further evaluate the effectiveness of the equipment”said the mayor.
In another reference, in April 2022, a shooting in a subway car in the Brooklyn neighborhood left 10 people wounded by gunshots and others suffered injuries in the midst of the chaos.
Its author, who also set off smoke bombs, was sentenced in 2023 to ten life sentences. His lawyers claimed that the man had a history of mental illness.
Besides, several people diagnosed with mental illness have pushed people onto train tracks and the most recent incident, this week, cost the life of a 54-year-old man.
That is why the mayor also announced that will send more mental health doctors to patrol the subway, as part of the expansion of a program aimed at helping people with mental illness.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe on the subway and trust is key to ensuring that New York remains the safest big city in the United States,” said the mayor, who made the announcement today alongside the city’s police chief, Edward A. Caban.
According to City Hall data, as of March 24, police seized 450 guns in the city’s transit system this year, compared to 261 during the same period last year.
During the briefing, The city showed off an Evolv body scanner, which is used in stadiums like Citi Field. The scanner took three seconds to complete a scan and alerted to areas where a weapon might be present.
Adams said there is no facial recognition or “biometrics” with this technology. Subway riders will not be forced to go through scanners and will be able to opt out, the city said. If the machine alerts about a person’s area, an officer will only search that area, the city said.
Multiple factors are considered in determining where to deploy the scanners, such as weapons arrests and shooting detections, Adams said.
*With information from EFE
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