This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

NYPD Testing Infrared Technology to Detect Concealed Weapons

The devices-- mounted on police cars-- use radiation to detect weapons and have one civil liberties group worried

The NYPD is developing technology similar to infrared scanning that would detect concealed weapons, said Commissioner Ray Kelly yesterday, according to the Daily News.

The new technology uses a mechanism that can detect terahertz radiation, or natural energy emitted from a human body, but cannot travel through metal, says the report. So, the silhouette of a gun hidden under someone’s jacket would show up on the radar.

The NYPD hopes to install these devices, which currently can only be used at a distance of 3 to 4 feet, on police vehicles in the near future, says the report. Commissioner Kelly said he would like to see the technology eventually work at a distance of 25 meters, according to the News.

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to Gothamist, NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman issued a statement saying that they “find this proposal both intriguing and worrisome.”

“On the one hand, if technology like this worked as it was billed, New York City should see it’s stop-and-frisk rate drop by a half-million people a year. On the other hand, the ability to walk down the street free from a virtual police pat-down is a matter of privacy,” Lieberman said.

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.