(Chris Parker, Headline USA) New York Democrat Mayor Eric Adams is considering filling the Big Apple’s subway stations with high-tech gun scanners, as crime and violence continue to hammer the city.
If implemented, these monitoring systems would be very different from the airport screen technologies currently used to keep guns off commercial airplanes, reported Breitbart. They are largely hidden from view and allow commuters to “walk normally through the system.” The idea, according to Adams, is that passengers won’t even know they exist.
The machines can detect both metal and the shapes of objects secured by passengers. However, there is a risk of false-positives if some objects even resemble some guns.
Adams also acknowledged that implementing the system will be a challenge since they need to be accompanied by human operators. Still, he said it’s worth exploring.
He also conceded that it will require collaboration with the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which ultimately controls the subway system. They would have to agree with the decision before moving forward.
James Dooley, a former New York Police captain, called it a nightmare.
“You’re going to have to tie up a lot of officers doing this,” he said.
The NYPD is already dealing with a shortage of because of New York’s vaccine mandate and increased hostility toward police. Some officers were also fired by the mayor’s office for refusing to get vaccinated.
Adams has suggested overcoming this challenge by using pop-up stations, “similar to what we do when we do car checkpoints.”
The proposal comes months after Adams suggested random luggage checks on coach buses. The Port Authority Police Department is exploring options for making that a reality. Adams also called for “more detection efforts” during that time.
The security initiative comes at a time when New York City is facing scrutiny over its ubiquitous efforts to spy on Americans. The city’s excessive use of cameras and growing interest in facial recognition technologies are leading to privacy concerns among citizens and advocates.
