New York City leaders said they will start a trial program to use portable gun scanners in the subway. This is to help stop violence and make the subway feel safer for everyone.
Mayor Eric Adams mentioned that they will wait for 90 days as required before starting the program. He believes that ensuring the safety of New Yorkers on the subway is crucial for keeping the city safe.
Adams also plans to send more outreach workers into subway stations. They will try to help people with mental health issues who live in the subway get the treatment they need.
Officials will look for companies that are good at making technology to detect weapons. After the waiting period, they will put the scanners in some subway stations. The police will then see how well the scanners work.
During a news conference, they showed a scanner made by a company called Evolv. However, some people have criticized this company for making its scanners seem better than they are.
New York City leaders might start a program to use portable gun scanners in the subway
Jerome Greco from the Legal Aid Society said that these systems can sometimes give false alarms and scare people.
Adams said that they will check if the scanners work well and if they meet their expectations.
They did not say exactly where they will put the scanners. During the demonstration, the scanner beeped when a police officer with a gun walked through. But it didn’t beep when officers with phones went through.
Violent crimes are rare in the subway. But there have been some recent shootings. This is why officials want to make the subway safer.
They also announced a plan to add 800 more police officers to the subway to stop fare evasion and keep it safe.
Before this, the police had already taken 17 guns from people in the subway this year.
