New York City's mayor and the head of the NYPD announced a gun scanner pilot for the subway system, the latest in a series of initiatives designed to reassure the public after recent high-profile crimes.
Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban shared details of their plan to test what are called Evolv gun detectors in some locations underground. The scanners are portable and easy to relocate. They're also designed for 1-minute installation. Many hospitals in the area already use them.
The city hasn’t confirmed which scanner will be used in the subway, but the EVOLV sensors are being considered.
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"This is a Sputnik moment. President Kennedy said let’s put a man on the moon and everyone responded," Adams said Thursday. "If EVOLV had a 70% hit ratio, that's 70% more than now."
There are some concerns about the viability of the technology. Last October, the Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into Evolv's artificial intelligence systems, and its claims of correctly identifying weapons. There are also concerns from civil rights groups.
"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," the Legal Aid Society said in a statement.
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Evolv also lists the Met, Lincoln Center and CitiField among its clients.
It'll take some time before New Yorkers see gun scanners in the transit system. By law, the city has to post information on the new technology and then test it. Adams says there's a required 90-day waiting period for evaluation. No facial recognition or biometrics will be used in concert with the scanning system, the mayor said.
Violence in the subway system is rare, with major crimes dropping nearly 3% from 2022 to 2023 and killings falling from 10 to five during the same span, according to police. But serious incidents have attracted attention, such as a passenger's slashing of a subway conductor in the neck last month. Four recent homicides also made headlines.
Officials said subway crime is down 15% so far in March compared with the same time in 2023. And after a 46% spike in crime in January, it has since trended down, with a a 15% drop in February and another 16% drop thus far in March.
And yet, as MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said a day ago, the perception is it's a "nightmare" underground. Part of the motive in flooding the subway system with cops and National Guard troops, as the state did earlier this month, is to closer align the perception of crime in transit with the reality of crime in transit, officials say.
"Public safety is the actual safety and it's how people are feeling," Adams said Thursday. "We know we have over 4 million riders a day and a reliable system. We know we have approximately six felonies a day out of those 4 million riders. But if they don't feel safe, then we're not accomplishing our task. Stats don't matter if people don't believe they are in a safe environment."
New Yorkers may also have noticed regular announcements on trains telling riders if they need help, there are police officers on the platform. There were a half-dozen on the platform when a 24-year-old shoved a 54-year-old into the path of a train in East Harlem this week, killing him. The suspect was quickly taken into custody. Officers were also already at the scene of the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway shooting this month, rapidly apprehending those involved.
"People must be safe and must feel safe when they’re riding the subway," said NYPP Transit Chief Michael Kemper.
As of Thursday, NYPD officers have seized a total of 450 weapons — including 21 illegal guns — in the New York City transit system this year, compared to 261 weapons — including nine guns — during the same period last year. The NYPD also seized 1,515 weapons in the subway system in 2023, including 1,470 cutting instruments and 45 illegal firearms. That tally was a stark increase from the previous year, when 947 total weapons were seized, including 912 cutting instruments and 35 guns, according to Mayor Adams' administration.
MTA officials say many subway crimes, armed and otherwise, are perpetrated by fare-beaters, as was the case in the Hoyt station shooting, and have plowed copious resources into curbing that problem in recent days.
Earlier this month, the NYPD announced it was dispatching hundreds of officers to reimplement bag checks at key subway stations throughout the city. Gov. Kathy Hochul added 750 National Guard troops to that effort.
