Weapons Scanners Coming To NYC Subways, Mayor Says
"This is a 'Sputnik' moment," said Mayor Eric Adams as he announced a pilot program launching in 90 days to test subway scanners. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a pilot program to test gun- and knife-detecting scanners in subway stations. The announcement comes amid a spate of high-profile incidents of violence in the transit system. The pilot program will require a mandatory 90-day waiting period before any surveillance technology can be tested under city law. Once this period, Adams will use electromagnetic weapons detection systems such as Evolv, which he demonstrated during the news conference. However, many details remain unclear, including where the scanners would be tested and whether straphangers who refuse to pass through them will be barred from entering the subway. Critics argue that gun detection systems are flawed and frequently trigger false alarms, leading to panic and potential loss of life.
Publicados : 4 semanas atrás por Matt Troutman no Politics
Or so said Mayor Eric Adams Thursday as he unveiled an upcoming pilot program to test gun- and knife-detecting scanners in subway stations — a proposal that comes amid a spate of high-profile acts of violence in the transit system. “This is our ‘Sputnik’ moment,” he said, before referencing John F. Kennedy’s famous speech promise to go to the Moon.
“Today, we said we’re going to bring technology that can identify guns and other dangerous weapons, and our private industry responded.” Adams’ announcement started the clock on a mandatory 90-day waiting period before any surveillance technology can be tested and used under city law.
Once the waiting is done, Adams said electromagnetic weapons detection systems — such as those provided by Evolv, which he demonstrated during the news conference — to test in subway stations. But many details remained unclear, including where the scanners would be tested and whether straphangers who refuse to pass through them will be barred from entering the subway.
Adams, who self-declared as a “technology mayor” during the news conference, has come under fire for his enthusiastic, or heedless, embrace of new tech. New Yorkers have seen Adams tout cryptocurrency, drones, a robot police dog and a Times Square subway Robocop, only to then respectively watch him lose money on his first three paychecks, face privacy concerns and accusations police broke the law and quietly mothball the robot.
“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,” said Jerome Greco, supervising attorney for The Legal Aid Society’s digital forensics unit, in a statement. “This Administration’s headstrong reliance on technology as a panacea to further public safety is misguided, costly, and creates significant invasions of privacy. 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.” Adams himself acknowledged that walking through a weapons scanner to get into the subway isn’t ideal. “Would I prefer us not having to walk through this to come on our system?” he said. “You’re darn right, I do. But we have to live life the way it is and work to make it what it ought to be.”