Xhaka FTA – New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city will soon test technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect weapons on Turnstile subways. Adams' announcement comes a week after a man pulled a gun on another passenger at a Brooklyn subway station and was shot with his own gun.
Adams said the city will work with Evolve, a Massachusetts-based weapons detection company. The company's detectors are used in schools and recreational facilities across the country. But Evolve has faced criticism over the accuracy of its engines, as well as two government investigations and lawsuits from shareholders.
Pilot testing will begin within 90 days under the POST Act, which requires the NYPD to disclose the surveillance technology being used and issue an impact and use statement before introducing new technology. Adams said the city will also have a 90-day waiting period to investigate other suppliers.
Adams did not say where the scanners would be installed or how many would be used. Evolv scanners are already in use at Citi Field, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2022, after a gunman opened fire on a subway car in Brooklyn, Adams temporarily installed an Evolv scanner outside the entrance to City Hall.
However, Evolv's technology doesn't always work well. Evolv's scanner reported the umbrella as a weapon, but did not detect aluminum or steel tubing cut to resemble a weapon's barrel.
Despite this, Adams still chose Evolv as its primary supplier, although some of its largest funders had invested heavily in Evolv. But the project has drawn criticism from many stakeholders, including the city's largest public defender organization, the Legal Aid Society.
Adams noted that violent crimes involving weapons and other weapons within the subway system remain relatively rare. But polls show New Yorkers are feeling increasingly anxious. “If they don’t feel safe, we won’t be successful,” Adams said. “Statistics don't matter if people don't believe they are in a safe environment.”
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