You may want to start doing a quick touch-up and making sure your hair is in place before swiping your MetroCard (just kidding sort of). Video from subway stations in Times Square, Penn Station, and Grand Central is now being fed into the city’s “Ring of Steel” security system, which feeds images from around the city to policemen.
“This is a big step forward in the ability of the NYPD to monitor and disrupt terrorist threats against our city,” Mayor Bloomberg said about the new system.
The technology also allows officials to zero in on images should that ever be necessary.
“They can zoom in on individual images and control the angle of cameras remotely,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. “If we’re looking for a person in a red jacket, we can call up all the red jacket footage in the last 30 days.”
There are plans to hook up cameras in the Chambers Street station, as well as other “key stations,” to the NYPD feed, though there is “no plan … to link all of the MTA’s cameras to the police nerve center.” So feel free to engage in whatever sketchy behavior you desire at the D-list subway stations!
Say cheese, you’re on camera! $200M subway surveillance program will be monitored around the clock [NYDN]
