NYPD, Feds Testing Gun-Scanning Technology, But Civil Liberties Groups Up In Arms

Terahertz Imaging Detection Out To Detect Illegal Concealed Weapons

January 17, 2012 11:59 PM

The NYPD and Department of Defense are working together testing Terahertz Imaging Detection, a new way to get concealed illegal weapons off the streets. (Photo courtesy: NYPD)

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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The NYPD is stepping up their war against illegal guns, with a new tool that could detect weapons on someone as they walk down the street.

But is it violating your right to privacy?

Police, along with the U.S. Department of Defense, are researching new technology in a scanner placed on police vehicles that can detect concealed weapons.

“You could use it at a specific event. You could use it at a shooting-prone location,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told CBS 2′s Hazel Sanchez on Tuesday.

It’s called Terahertz Imaging Detection. It measures the energy radiating from a body up to 16 feet away, and can detect anything blocking it, like a gun.

And the idea is causing quite the uproar on both sides of the privacy issue.

WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb On The Story

“I think it’s good. People will be safer and it will be a safer environment,” Jessica Ramos said.

“If it’s going to make us safer as citizens I’m okay with that,” said Lori Sampson of Lake Ronkonkoma.

“I think it’s all about invading people’s lives more and more and more,” Antonio Gabriel said.

“It’s definitely a privacy issue, but it’s for our safety. So it’s just one of those things, a double-edged sword,” added Clarence Moore of Union, N.J.

Police Commissioner Kelly said the scanner would only be used in reasonably suspicious circumstances and could cut down on the number of stop-and-frisks on the street.

But the New York Civil Liberties Union is raising a red flag.

“It’s worrisome. It implicates privacy, the right to walk down the street without being subjected to a virtual pat-down by the Police Department when you’re doing nothing wrong,” the NYCLU’s Donna Lieberman said.

“We have involved our attorneys as we go forward with this issue. We think it’s a very positive development,” Kelly said.

People on the street have differing opinions on the price they’d be willing to pay for safety.

“There are a lot of cameras already here, so as people walk they’re being filmed. And most of the time they don’t know it,” said Jennifer Bailly of Jersey City.

“If they search you, you’re not giving consent, so they can do what they want, meaning they can use that as an excuse to search you for other means. I don’t think that’s constitutional at all,” Devan Thomas said.

“I don’t agree with it. I have the belief that if you forgoe some of your freedom then it’s not freedom at all,” added Erwin Morales of Hoboken.

“I think it’s good. I think if someone has something to hide and they’re going to worry about it, who cares?” Robert McDougall added.

The Department of Defense is also researching the Terahertz technology to detect suicide bombers wearing explosives.

Do you think this is an invasion of privacy? Or are you in favor of relinquishing some freedoms to keep the streets safe? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below. …

NYPD, Feds Testing Gun Scanning Technology, But Civil Liberties Groups Up In Arms

scott

Probably could be defeated by wearing a mylar liner under a jacket or materials with aluminum woven in, like those used for skiing.

Bo Jiden

Whoops. Looks like you beat me to it.

J

The problem with this is that it doesn’t discriminate between the legal and illegal gun carriers. But this sure is an invasion of privacy. You have to be from space not to think so.
jharry3

Of course it violates our civll liberties. Just like the TSA does thousands of times a day!
Josh Biggs

Those that would trade freedom for security deserve neither.
Drew W. Smith

This is a breach of the fourth amendment. Scanning someone’s body is an unreasonable search.
susystin

This country has the right to bare arms. End of discussion. NY is breaking the law and Consitution. Of course, they break them all the time now so who’s going to stop all this.
JC

New York City, GO TO HELL! Illegal guns? Is the government not constrained against taking away your right to bear a weapon? And who said the state can take away your natural God given right to protect your self.
Sig Sauer

Setting aside NYC gun laws, this is just another reason not to ever visit NYC
West4Ever

I live in Wyoming. Here, you can carry openly so this device would be entirely useless. Last time I went to the bank the guy ahead of me had a pistol on his hip. Just a regular bank customer, known to the bank, chatted with me and the teller. What do you think would have happened if he had walked in to a bank like that in New York?

Sig Sauer

West4Ever, check out the story about the lady from Tennessee or the Marine who’s plan landed in NYC. We live in Ohio and I too stop at my bank, grocery store, barbershop with my Sig on my hip. which by the way is the safest place to keep your firearm

Howard Redder

i love my sig p239 .40 cal..its the only gun i will ever own and trust

RH

You are a lucky man, any jobs out there?

West4Ever

Lots in the oil, natural gas and coal industries. Miners, mechanics, drivers, engineers, heavy equipment contractors… they’re all in high demand. Cost of living is low too. And no income tax.

baneberrygirl

He would have been arrested as a “domestic terrorist”..

Derby Cap

I’m going to design clothing that hides body heat, a complete blackout except head and hands.
Jimmy Walker

It is another step in away of our right to privacy, which is natural right. As B. Franklin said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Mark Matis

Time to blow some pig heads off for dishonoring their oath of office.

John

You are an idiot dude for making such a stupid comment. That isn’t a joke.

Mark Matis

And my comment was NOT a joke. “Law Enforcement” has taken an oath to the Constitution, but they spit on it every day. Making them not “Law Enforcement”, but instead Thugs with Guns.

What do YOU do to a thug with a gun? Do you say “Here are my wife and daughter. I hope you enjoy raping them. Call me if they give you any trouble.” Or do you blow his head off?

Troy Mclure

boys become cops, Men serve in the military. nypd is nothing more than a bunch of ninja wannabes.
George O.

In 30 years, it’ll be 1984.

Ray

I,ll lower your 30 and give you 5 yrs,

Pat Henry

5 Years?? Check your calendar we are already 11 months, and holding, into 1984. I live in the People’s Repubic of Maryland, and it is almost as bad here. Leaving soon for a free state!! KEEP VOTING, FIGHT BACK!

Mark Matis

There ARE NO free states. The “Law Enforcement” in EVERY ONE OF THEM have spit on their oath to the Constitution. The honorable Law Enforcement officers in this country are pathetically few and far between. And EXCLUSIVELY in the very small departments.

The stench is overwhelming. And it smells like pig.

Ray

just another sign as to how big brother is flushing “we the people” constitution down the toilet!
Betsy Ross

Just one more reason to never visit the Communist state of New York again.

Humpy J. Brown

Was there EVER a good reason?

Rude people, beggars, urine stinking subways, and lunkheads who are all like “Ahm fum Noo Yawwwk, and you ain’ jaaaack.”

Heartland Patriot

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! That was AWESOME!

Pete Rock

I wonder… .does their little device detect bullets??? Specifically bullets coming back at a high rate of speed????

You may not have my guns, but you can have everyone of my bullets!!!!

SIC SIEMPER TYRANNUS>

Bill

Pete Rock let’s add…et omni suus Deus damno volente servus to that Sis semper tyrannus

Dutch

What is it about the 2nd Amendment that these morons don’t understand? Wasn’t McDonald v. Chicago published in NYC?

mamawati

So few peopel are conversant with the foundations of our liberty it is frightening. The Bill of Rights is almost dead and we the people have allowed them to be taken away. We have traded false security for loss of liberty. We have become our own worst enemies.
Ghost of Reagan

Oh, they understand the 2nd Amendment alright, quite thoroughly in fact. It’s just that those people HATE it and what it represents… the means to empower the citizenry over an oppressive government. There’s an old bumper sticker slogan that I haven;t sen in a while, but will likely be coming back. It says “The Government that fears guns in the hands of its citizens, should.” This is why I fully support Rick Perry of Texas as President. He’s the most overtly pro-2nd Amendment candidate this nation has ever had in the last 100+ years, and because of that alone, I can easily overlook all the rest of his faults and screw-ups.

Humpy J. Brown

Nick, you may be wrong.

Our bodies give off heat. If they use an infrared scanning technology, they’ll see a reddish blob as the totality of our body heat. The gun, being steel, will block that heat and show up as a dark blob on their device. Military has been using infrared for years. You can buy such a device yourself if you have a spare $10K or so.

Police already use it to scan entire frame structures (and now even block structures, but that requires radiation) during “stand offs”, to see where the occupants are. They call it “lighting them up”, but it’s really nothing but an ultra-sensitive heat detector device.

But I wouldn’t put it past them to use radiation. They’re already doing it to us at airports.
Anthony Jordan

2nd Amendment = gone…
4th Amendment = gone…
Enough said…
Steve L

Benjamin Franklin said: “Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither”
Andrei Bilderburger

Time to enforce the second amendment and get rid of all the New York gun laws. Then this won’t be necessary.
Jerry Penny

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
ConcernedAmericans

Further eroding the 4th Amendment. And so it begins.
Nick

There is NO energy given off by anything. These a-holes are planning to bombard the public with radiation in the name of “safety”. The Bloomberg Regime marches on.

Nick

Oh, now you fix your “news reporting” and say it’s body heat, not some mysterious “force”. And heat scans don’t work too well in day time or in crowds.

Humpy J. Brown

Are you talking to ME? Are YOU talking to ME? You must be talking to me, because I don’t see anyone else here——.

karlthomas

While I agree with you on the clear violation of privacy posed by this nonsense in the name of ‘safety’, I will also correct you on your assertion concerning energy.

Energy can be given off by any object, be it from heat, sound, light, radiation, etc…
In your second sentence, you acknowledge that the machines give off energy in the form of radiation.

To sum all this up, energy can emit from any object, and many objects ‘give off’ energy constantly. One of the more obvious object to ‘give off’ energy is the sun(in the form of heat, radiation, and light).

Energy can be visible or invisible when emitted from an object. In the daylight, a hunter can see his prey due to the light that is reflected from the animal’s hide. At night, hunters must rely on sound energy to locate prey….though sound can be difficult to reconcile with shot placement. Therefore, we must turn to another non-visible energy…. heat energy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLp6DQjDjxw

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NYPD, Feds Testing Gun-Scanning Technology, But Civil Liberties Groups Up In Arms

Terahertz Imaging Detection Out To Detect Illegal Concealed Weapons

January 17, 2012 11:59 PM

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