Metro is testing out an AI weapons scanner that faced criticism in NYC

Metro rolled out scanners at Union Station earlier this month as part of a pilot program aimed at getting weapons off the transit system, even though a similar effort in New York City faced scrutiny.

The scanners use sensors and artificial intelligence to screen passengers. But when they were recently deployed at several New York City subway stations, around 2,800 scans turned up zero guns and many false positives, according to the New York Police Department.

The Legal Aid Society in New York City called the pilot’s outcome "objectively a failure."

Robert Gummer, Metro's deputy chief of System Security and Law Enforcement, said the agency was aware of those results, which came from Evolv Technology scanners, the same vendor Metro is now testing.

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"The whole intent behind this pilot is to know and understand this technology better, and be able to provide recommendations to the board, and have the board make the call as to where and how they would like to see this roll out," Gummer said.

As of Monday, Gummer said the pilot program had so far not detected any weapons except some used for peoples' work.

What happened in NYC?

New York, like Los Angeles, rolled out its pilot program in a move to address safety concerns within its transit system.

In a 30-day trial, the scanners turned up 12 knives and resulted in 118 false positives.

"That's 118 potential serious consequences of people having dangerous interactions with police officers who believe that they are armed," said attorney Jerome Greco, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society.

The NYPD said in a statement that it has not entered into a contract with Evolv Technology, and is "still evaluating the outcome of the pilot."

According to Wired, Evolv's CEO told investors this spring that due to interference with the railways, "subways, in particular, are not a place that we think is a good use case for us."

LAist has reached out to Evolv for comment.

Metro pilot programs

The scanners are just one of a series of pilot programs that Metro is testing. This summer, the Metro Board of Directors approved expanding tap-out technology at stations at the end of each train line, adding more bathrooms to the system, installing taller gateways at certain stations and testing out different weapons detection systems.

"The mere presence of these systems can act as a deterrent, discouraging individuals from bringing weapons into station areas," that Metro motion states. "Conversely, deploying these systems may hinder the riders’ experience by narrowing access points and extending the time necessary to enter a station or board a bus."

Past attempts at weapons detection

It's not the first time Metro has tested out weapons scanners. In 2017, Metro tried out body scanners at Union Station in partnership with the Transportation Security Administration — a move the ACLU criticized as ineffective and the potential “airportization of American life.”

Mohammad Tajsar, a former member of Metro's public safety advisory committee and a lawyer with the ACLU of Southern California, raised similar concerns about Metro's new pilot program.

"It's all just security theater," he said. "These kinds of weapons detection technologies are faulty, they're ineffective and they're completely invasive and potentially violative of people's rights."