NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The camera outages at the Brooklyn subway station where alleged gunman Frank James opened fire in April were caused by a lack of maintenance, follow-through, insufficient staffing and training, according to an MTA inspector general's report released Thursday.
An investigation into the outage at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, as well as two other stations, began after the April 12 attack, when authorities say James threw smoke bombs and fired dozens of bullets on a train carrying morning passengers as it approached the Brooklyn station. Ten people were shot, and another 19 were hurt, but no one was killed.
According to Acting Inspector General Elizabeth Keating's report, the cameras at the three stations went down at 5:21 p.m. on April 8 and were not noticed for nearly a day.
When the outage was discovered, the report found that "confusing and inadequate reporting protocols meant that an employee's notification about the outage went unnoticed until the OIG's inquiry." In addition, "limited staffing caused delays in the discovery and repair of problems," which did not begin until the morning of April 11.
The OIG also noted that the workforce responsible for maintaining the camera network equipment is "insufficiently trained," and the network equipment maintenance routine is "deficient."
According to the investigation, there was no evidence that the outage was intentional, and the exact cause of the network failure remains unknown.
While the OIG's investigation was limited to the April 12 outage, which only affected the three stations, the OIG said it "identified significant problems that raise concerns about the maintenance of the MTA’s streaming camera network in general."
According to the report, NYC Transit has already taken some "concrete steps" to address the concerns raised, including implementing a formal reporting protocol for maintenance issues and starting the transition to a software system that offers better tracking and work order generation technology.
MTA spokesperson Sean Butler said in a statement that the report makes clear that "the extraordinary redundancy built into our network means that images are always available from multiple cameras following an incident."
"Investigators rapidly get what they need from [the] NYC Transit camera network even when a minimal number of cameras is temporarily offline," he added. "The Inspector General confirmed today what the NYPD has said for years: MTA cameras are a highly reliable source of quality images, deterring crimes and bringing criminals to justice."
The MTA has over 11,000 cameras, with nearly 99% operational at any given time. The NYPD has also long maintained that operating cameras throughout the system "were essential elements in determining his movements before and after the shootings."
James was arrested on April 13. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system and discharging a firearm during a violent crime.
Both counts carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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