With the recent flurry of news regarding personal privacy issues being invaded, New York City can now be added to the mix of controversy. The purpose of the security initiative is not only for terrorism-related activities but a wide range of criminal mischief?graffiti writers, purse snatchers, drunks and hooligans, and other petty criminal activity.
Public security on mass transit is being taken very seriously in the city. Transit infrastructures are beefing up security around the country because of the past several years of terrorist bombings involving metro train transportation. “We started looking at doing this after Madrid [Terrorist Incident], and we really started looking at it in earnest after London [Terrorist Incident],” said transit system spokesman Paul Fleuranges, referring to the 2004 attacks that killed 191 people in Madrid and 52 people in London. “This is primarily an anti-crime, anti-vandalism initiative,” Fleuranges said.
The areas targeted for the new cameras will be around bus terminals and exits and will beef up existing surveillance in subways. The effort will be the city’s first major attempt to conduct regular video surveillance on either trains or buses since an abandoned pilot program involving about 100 Bronx buses in the late 1990s. The cameras will save tape reels for 45 days and then destroy them.
Security personnel will be monitoring on a time-delay rather than in real-time. This is designed to counter Big Brother objectionists. A value-added will be to prevent fraud. For example, if a bus were involved in an incident, the tape could be used to monitor claims to insure whoever filed a claim was riding the bus.
Major cities around the country have been adding to their security systems. The Washington DC Metro, Chicago Transit Authority, and Los Angeles Country Metro are all adding cameras on their buses. New York City?long hailed as the preeminent for security?is working to catch up. Their $25 million program that will install the cameras on buses will include placing the units near subway turnstiles as well. If successful, the program will be expanded. NYC officials also recently announced plans to place a network of motion-sensitive cameras that will signal if someone leaves a bag in the subway station.
However, civil liberty groups have raised concerns to the camera issues. “Before we start spending millions of dollars of law enforcement resources…we need to really look at what these video cameras accomplish, whether there are better ways to do it, and whether there is a downside for individual privacy,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. She said that there should be limits on who has access to the recordings, how long they are kept on file, and how they will be used. These issues are not insurmountable to achieve comprehensive security. And, so far, transit riders in New York have been supportive of the camera initiative. Gene Russianoff, an attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, a group that represents transit riders added, “A camera is just a camera. It can’t protect you from anybody.” He would like to see more money spent on adding police personnel.
