New York Mayor Eric Adams wants to deploy this technology in subway system that can spot a concealed weapon. Plagued with violent crime, other cities are also looking at ways to spot crime before it happens.
Now with a school shooting epidemic in America, concerned parents wonder if this same scanner technology should be used within our schools.
It’s the body scanner tech that could have prevented the horrifying New York subway attack in early April according to a representative from UK-based Thruvision.
Thruvision passive detection is proven to detect plastic guns and ceramic knives. It’s perfect for deployment in transportation hubs including subway stations. When in use, it also acts as a deterrent to violent crime where large crowds are gathered.
Credit: Thruvision
How new body scanner tech can see tiny hidden objects on your body from far away
How it works with sophisticated accuracy is remarkably simple. These portable devices use cameras that scan in a terahertz frequency identifying cool and hot temperatures differences. An object blocked by body heat shows up in a darker shade. It’s up to transportation authorities to screen a suspicious person further.
It can screen up to 2,000 passengers an hour from up to 30 feet away and likely without anyone walking by noticing.
For example, when positioned in front of stairs or at the foot of an escalator, it passively scans crowds using a proprietary tactical camera system that can see hidden objects blocking body heat signatures.
Instead of forcing people through an airport-like screening process that creates bottlenecks, this more advanced technology is stealthier and more flexible. It can be used out in the open with law enforcement on a portable cart that looks like a musician’s gearbox.
Credit: Thruvision
Safe and respectful body scanner technology
There’s no radiation emitted and the personal aspects of your anatomy are concealed while highlighting any threatening object it detects with a box.
Thruvision confirms that if the technology which is readily available was installed in the subway station where the New York attack, it would have been able to detect the threat before the suspect entered the train boarding area.
As it stands now, James the suspect was able to escape onto a train across the subway boarding platform and ride a number of subway cars throughout the day of the attack without ever being detected or stopped.
The MTA in New York confirmed that the newly installed security camera system was inoperative due to an internet connection issue. Meanwhile, ordinary security cameras would do little of anything to stop an attack.
Why aren’t we giving police these crime-fighting tools?
Passive detection technology can see any concealed object. It could have made a difference in detecting and deterring the threat before innocent people were shot. It has been shown to the MTA before yet largely ignored despite its effectiveness.
Its detection technology is currently installed in Los Angeles in use by the LA Metro commuter light rail system. Employees are screened with it arriving to work at Los Angeles International Airport. The TSA has also tested Thruvision and it’s actively deployed by Border Protection at several southern US border crossings to scan for migrant weapons and threats coming into the U.S.
So why isn’t more of this technology being deployed to reign in the increase in violent crime in American cities? It has me baffled why we aren’t giving police and other law enforcement these tools.
Let me know your thoughts by commenting below.
Updated: May 24, 2022 Originally published April 22, 2022