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The municipal government will begin testing the use of new technology to detect firearms in the subway system.

This as a measure, as they explain, to reinforce security in public transport. Subway riders we spoke to at the 74th Street and Broadway station in Jackson Heights are in favor.

“I would feel good because he who owes nothing fears nothing, as the saying goes, no. If you don’t owe anything to the law, you don’t owe anything, you don’t have anything bad, that’s fine,” said Alba Montaño.

But this will not be immediately, since due to current legislation, “Public Supervision of Surveillance Technology Law”, they must first wait a period of 90 days before beginning to evaluate or use any technological tool by which is opted.

Municipal officials indicate that during this time they will focus on identifying companies with weapons detection technology.

They explain that at the end of the 90 days, a pilot program will be implemented in some metro stations where the police will be able to further evaluate the effectiveness of the equipment that is selected.

One of the models they showed during the announcement was that of the company Evolve, already used in the MOMA museum and in the One Vanderbilt building, which can precisely detect where a weapon that a person is carrying is located. With a three-second delay, if the police find something, they can only search the area where the weapon is detected.

However, The Legal Aid Society expressed its disapproval of the initiative.

“In short, weapons detection systems are flawed and often generate false alarms, which can cause panic and lead to situations with potential loss of life,” it said.

“This Administration’s stubborn reliance on technology as a panacea to improve public safety is misguided, costly, and creates significant invasions of privacy.

“In the meantime, we urge all New Yorkers to express their concerns to the City about these dystopian technologies,” it added in a message on social networks.

Our statement on the City’s new subway gun detection system pilot:

“Simply put, gun detection systems are flawed and frequently trigger false alarms, which induces panic and creates situations that could result in the loss of life.”

Read more: pic.twitter.com/0tUi4p88tg

— The Legal Aid Society (@LegalAidNYC) March 28, 2024

On the other hand, Mayor Adams also announced that the municipal government will hire mental health experts to expand the Subway Outreach Teams, or SCOUT, program to offer mental health services to people who need it on the subway.

“Too perfect. And very well, because sometimes no one knows the state of mind that a person feels if they have to keep their eyes back and forth, up and down,” said Carolina Panchi.

According to the Police Department, as of March 24 of this year, 450 weapons, including 19 Illegal ones, have been seized in the city’s transportation system, exceeding the 261 weapons the previous year.

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2024-03-29 12:54:00
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