Railroad News – NYPD to test weapon detection technology on subways.For railway career professionals

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Police Department last week announced plans to begin a pilot program using new technology designed to detect weapons carried by passengers on the city's subways.

The New York City Police Department has instituted a mandatory 90-day waiting period before new technology can be tested and used in New York City, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

During the waiting period, the NYPD will identify companies with proven expertise in weapons detection technology. The device will then be tested in select subway stations so the NYPD can further evaluate its effectiveness.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe on our subways and maintaining trust in our systems is key to ensuring New York remains the safest metropolis in America,” Adams said.

Meanwhile, MTA officials said the agency will invest in more clinicians to help people suffering from severe mental illness and pilot new technology designed to detect firearms on transit. He said he is participating in the initiative.

The MTA is helping expand the Subway Cooperative Response Outreach Team (SCOUT), a pilot program launched in partnership with the state last year to connect people with untreated severe mental illness to mental health care on the subway. To do this, we will begin hiring clinicians.

The city and MTA's actions are aimed at combating a recent increase in subway crime.