Gun detection machines are tested at the Fulton Street transit station before a news conference with New York Mayor Eric Adams, Friday, July 26, 2024, in New York. New York City is turning to AI-powered scanners in a new bid to keep guns out of its subway system. Gun detection machines are tested at the Fulton Street transit station before a news conference with New York Mayor Eric Adams, Friday, July 26, 2024, in New York.
The scanners drew immediate protest from civil liberties advocates. The New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society said they would sue the city if the technology is rolled out widely, alleging the searches violated the constitutional rights of riders. “It’s not going to work,” said Dre Thomas, 25, shaking his head at the device. “It’d have to be at every point in the subway. I don’t see how that’s possible. It seems to me like another way to waste taxpayer money.”
So far this year, subway crime is down 8% through July 21 compared with the same period in 2023, according to police data. Last year, there were five killings in the subway, down from 10 the year prior, according to police.