new_york_city

The Watchmen of Gotham

NYPD to extend Lower Manhattan Security Initiative to Midtown

Modeled after London’s “Ring of Steel,” New York City’s Lower Manhattan Security Initiative covers Battery Park to Canal Street -- and when completed, will include more than 3,000 security cameras, 100 license plate reading devices and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear detectors.

All data streams into the Security Coordination Center and is monitored by the NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau. The network is designed to detect, observe and deter pre-operational terrorist activity in the financial district.

The city now plans to expand the surveillance system to Midtown -- from 30th to 60th Street -- using $24 million in homeland security grants.

“We are expanding our state-of-the-art counter-terrorism coordination center to include Midtown Manhattan,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press release. “Protecting potential targets is part of the comprehensive strategy we’ve pursued over the past seven and a half years to defend our city. We devote 1,000 police officers to counter-terrorism duties every day, and with a combination of high-tech intelligence and old-fashioned policing, we are doing everything in our power to keep our city safe from terrorist threats.”

The coverage of the Midtown Manhattan Security Initiative includes sensitive and high-risk targets such as Penn Station, Grand Central Station, the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, and the United Nations.

The new initiative is expected to be completed by 2011.

Right to Privacy

To ensure proper privacy protections, the initiatives must abide by the Public Security Privacy Guidelines. Under these guidelines, no person may be targeted or monitored solely because of race, color, religion or creed, age, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, disability, marital status, partnership status, military status, or political affiliation or beliefs.

The surveillance system will only be used to monitor public areas, where no legally protected reasonable expectation of privacy exists, and all CCTV equipment operated New Yorkers say the initiatives make them feel safe.

“I have nothing to hide, so I think it’s fine as long as it’s used for the right purposes,” said Ken Hill, 32, a programmer who works on Ninth Avenue and 15th Street. “This isn’t watching you in your home, it’s watching you on the street, out in public. I think it could be a valuable terrorism and crime-fighting tool. If I ended up being the victim of a street crime, I would certainly be thankful if it were caught on camera.”

“I don’t care about any privacy issues,” said Jarrod McFarlane, 33, a manager from Long Island. “It makes me feel safe.” Not surprisingly, other New Yorkers have an even more nonchalant approach.

“I suppose the overt, visual presence of the 3,000 cameras will eventually get to me,” said another Midtown resident. “But as a New Yorker, I’ll probably be jaded by all this in no time.”

And though some might be wary, in the end, they favor having the system.

“It’s a step toward Big Brother that we have always speculated about and feared,” said John Aro, 38, a consultant who works on Avenue of the Americas and 45th Avenue. “However, knowing it exists rather than guessing and making conspiracy theories about its existence is better. And as I don’t have anything to hide, I have no objections. In the end, I’m all for the safety of the whole than for the safety of the individual.”

Desperately Seeking Details

The New York Civil Liberties Union is demanding that NYPD disclose basic information about the Midtown Security Initiative.

“The NYPD is collecting massive amounts of personal information about law-abiding New Yorkers, with no hint of how it plans to protect individuals’ privacy,” said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU executive director, in a press release. “This is an invitation to abuse. The NYPD must not spend vast amounts of public money blanketing downtown and Midtown Manhattan in surveillance cameras without any public discussion of its plans or clear privacy protections. Our elected lawmakers need to step in and subject this entire surveillance system to a thorough public review.”

The NYCLU is interested in learning:

  • The scope of information to be collected about law-abiding people;
  • How the police and federal government would use the information and who they’ll share it with;
  • How long the information would be stored;
  • Any privacy protections within the system;
  • What private surveillance systems, such as bank security cameras, will be part of the system; and
  • How much money the federal government intends to spend on the system.

Like it or not, new cameras will be installed in 2010, and only time will tell if these new measures will indeed keep New York City safer.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.