NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban on Thursday introduced a subway gun scanner pilot program, slated to begin in 90 days, along with plans to increase the number of clinicians for the subway system.
"Keeping New Yorkers safe on the subway and maintaining confidence in the system is key to ensuring that New York remains the safest big city in America," Adams said.
The city is employing Evolv Technology's weapons detection system, which is also used by the Met, Lincoln Center, American Museum of Natural History, and CitiField.
Juliet Papa
Adams announced that the city would implement the detectors, within a 90-day period before their deployment. Meanwhile, the NYPD will identify vendors with other detection technologies and invite them to pilot their products in NYC to prevent crimes, with private industries stepping up.
"This is a Sputnik moment when President Kennedy said we were going to put a man on the moon and everyone responded," Adams said. "Well today, we said, we are going to bring technology that can identify guns and other dangerous weapons and our private industry responded."
Juliet Papa
The portable scanners are easily relocatable and can be installed in just one minute, similar to those already in use at many local hospitals. The city plans to deploy freestanding screeners at the Fulton Street Subway Station to analyze their impact on regular commuter traffic.
The mayor also sought to reassure riders that this technology will not invade their privacy.
"We understand we must be transparent on how this technology is used," Adams said. "No facial recognition. No biometrics. No items will be used to hold your identification."
Jerome Greco, supervising attorney of the digital forensics unit at The Legal Aid Society, expressed concerns about the city's new subway gun detection system pilot, stating that such systems often trigger false alarms, leading to panic and potential loss of life.
"This Administration's headstrong reliance on technology as a panacea to further public safety is misguided, costly, and creates significant invasions of privacy," Greco said. "During this interim period, we urge all New Yorkers to voice their concerns with the City over these dystopian technologies. Contrary to the Mayor's claims, New York City should not serve as a testing ground for surveillance corporations; the public has not consented to be a part of these experiments."
As of March 24, 2024, NYPD seized 450 weapons, 19 illegal guns in NYC transit this year, up from 261 weapons, 9 guns last year. In 2023, 1,515 weapons, 1,470 cutting instruments, 45 illegal firearms were seized, significantly higher than 2022's 947 total weapons, 912 cutting instruments, 35 guns.
In response to increased subway crime, New York State dispatched approximately 1,000 personnel from the state police, MTA police, and National Guard to aid the NYPD, as announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this month. These measures also include heightened bag checks, expedited installation of cameras on subway trains, and potential three-year transit bans for offenders.
The focus on the subway comes after transit crime spiked 13% across January and February compared to the same period in 2023. There were a number of high-profile attacks in recent weeks, including the near-deadly slashing of a subway conductor in Brooklyn and multiple fatal shootings on the subway in the Bronx.
