Weapons detection systems headed to New York City subway system

After a raucous month that included National Guard members on the New York City subway system, the city recently announced a new effort at safety for the transit system, which will include new technology to detect firearms and more clinicians on hand for cases of mental illness.

After publication of an impact and use policy, the new technology will be deployed as a pilot 90 days on. In the interim, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) will seek out companies with proven expertise in weapons detection technology to assist in deployment of new equipment and to assess its efficacy. Both New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD pointed to current statistics for why such measures are needed.

As of March 24, 2024, they reported the seizure of 450 weapons this year alone. During the same period last year, the NYPD seized 261 weapons. Over all of 2023, NYPD seized more than 1,500 weapons in the subway system.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe on the subway and maintaining confidence in the system is key to ensuring that New York remains the safest big city in America,” Adams said. “Today’s announcement is the next step in our ongoing efforts to keep dangerous weapons out of our transit system and to provide greater mental health services for New Yorkers in crisis. By kicking off a 90-day waiting period to test electromagnetic weapons detection systems here in New York City and hiring more clinicians for SCOUT, we are showing our administration’s dedication to keeping all New Yorkers safe.”

On the other side of the equation, SCOUT – or Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams – is a collaborative pilot program between the state and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) that seeks to connect people with untreated severe mental illness on display in the subways to treatment and care. Thanks to a $20 million state investment, that program is expanding to encompass more clinicians.

“Riders have to feel safe when riding the subways and that requires innovation — new weapons detection technology, but also increased deployments of police, tougher handling of repeat offenders by the criminal justice system, and expanded resources for mental health,” Janno Lieber, MTA Chair and CEO, said.

All of this comes a month after Adams directed the NYPD to surge an additional 1,000 officers into the subway system daily. According to the NYPD, overall crime in the transit system was down nearly 16 percent in March, compared to the same month last year.