Few Subway Surveillance Cameras in New York Subways

Jul. 12–The number of surveillance cameras in New York’s subways pales in comparison to the extensive network in London, where officials hope the devices will provide leads in last week’s bombings.

The Transit Authority has cameras in 17 subway stations that tape the comings and goings of a fraction of the 4.8 million daily riders, a police source said.

By comparison, the London Underground has about 6,000 cameras recording the flow of passengers with CCTV, closed-circuit television.

The NYPD monitors at least one camera around the clock in the Times Square station, the source said.

The TA also has hundreds of cameras that provide views of platforms for conductors and other staffers.

But they do not tape and are not monitored around the clock, and are of no value to law enforcement trying to solve crimes after the fact, the police source said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority expects to award $150 million to $200 million in contracts later this year for an “integrated electronic security system,” Ashok Patel, MTA program manager for security projects, said.

This system will include sensors and CCTV to protect several critical facilities, including bridges, tunnels and stations, he said.

The sensors can be placed on doors to equipment rooms at bridges or in subway stations. If security is breached, the sensors trigger surveillance cameras, which start recording.

“The idea is to deter, detect, delay and in some cases prevent intrusion so we can keep the bad element out of nonpublic areas,” Patel said.

The MTA also recently began testing portable devices that detect traces of explosives for their suitability in the mass transit system, including the subways.

At Grand Central Terminal, the MTA has several types of biological-agent detectors. They don’t give immediate alerts, but within hours can help authorities determine what has been released, Deputy MTA Police Chief Ron Masciana said.

Grand Central also has chemical detectors that, if triggered by a contaminant, alert an MTA police command center and activate surveillance cameras in the area.

Officials can quickly determine the type of chemical released, which is key to the emergency response and evacuation plan, Masciana said.

—–

To see more of the Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.NYDailyNews.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Daily News, New York

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.