NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — An audit by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office found that the operation status of 67% of the MTA’s security equipment is uncertain and that 30 projects have been significantly delayed, prompting financial officials to call for better maintenance of the system.
“The MTA’s security equipment is vital to riders’ personal safety and critical to Transit and first responders during emergencies and incidents of crime,” DiNapoli said. “The subway is an environment that demands CCTVs and other devices get inspected and maintained regularly. When security equipment fails it can have severe consequences.”
As part of the MTA’s 2010-2014 and 2015-2019 capital programs, 30 different projects that would install CCTVs and other electronic security systems were slated as priorities. DiNapoli’s audit found that as of May 2023, only six of the projects were completed, and each took two to four years to get done.
After sampling 1,187 pieces of equipment, auditors found that 14% had no maintenance scheduled. The MTA also had no documentation showing whether or not maintenance was completed for 67% of the work that was scheduled, leaving equipment status unknown.
Preventative maintenance of security equipment is supposed to be done to ensure proper function and prevent failures, the comptroller's office said.
Transit officials cited COVID-19 pandemic challenges and staffing issues as the reason behind delays, noting that with staff reductions and an increase in security equipment, the frequency of preventative maintenance had to be reduced.
The audit also found that repairs have been severely delayed, which the MTA claims is due to a lack of maintainers and difficulties locating parts for obsolete cameras.
After viewing 141 repair tickets, DiNapoli’s audit found that NYC Transit did not always make repairs within the time required by its own guidelines. Officials categorized the reason for 53 repair delays as “reason not indicated,” and “other” for another 41, providing no insight into what caused the delays.
In one case, an order to repair a CCTV system made on Oct. 5, 2020, wasn’t assigned until June 23 of the next year, and then wasn’t completed until Oct. 20, 2021. According to transit officials, CCTV equipment is supposed to be fixed in three days.
DiNapoli’s office made 16 suggestions to the MTA and NYC Transit, including that they review their contractors to ensure they can meet security needs, document reasons behind delayed or incomplete maintenance and make a daily list of inoperable cameras and alarms to help track their repair.
The official audit report includes a complete response signed by NYC Transit President Richard Davey that dives into the audit’s key findings and recommendations. He notes that in the last five years, transit has invested in the expansion of cameras by 66%, helping facilitate a network of thousands. He also said that the MTA has built in redundancies purposely to factor in “risk tolerance” for preventative maintenance, which is influenced by resource changes and constraints.
The MTA said that DiNapoli’s report is “in line with plans the MTA has already begun to implement.” In its official response, visible in the audit report, transit officials only disagreed with one of the comptroller’s recommendations.
"The NYC subway system has famously been described having as many cameras as a Las Vegas casino with more than 15,000 cameras throughout subway stations and thousands more inside subway trains," MTA spokesperson Joana Flores said in a statement Thursday.
"At any given time, 99% of cameras are producing video as intended, with most of the rest out for scheduled maintenance," Flores continued. "The MTA's cameras are a critical deterrent that have contributed to a significant crime drop year-to-date, serving also as an unparalleled tool for investigators when incidents do occur."