NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – The city’s new gun-detecting scanners set up at some subway stations produced false positives on over 4% of scans, according to the NYPD.
The city tested the machines, which look like traditional metal detectors, at 20 subway stations for 30 days. In that period, the machines produced 118 false positives of 2,749 total scans, a false positive rate of about 4.3%, according to police.
It’s an outcome many advocates had expressed concern about at the start of the pilot, when the Legal Aid Society called the scanners an “unjustified invasion of privacy.” Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union in July announced their plans to take legal action over the city’s use of the scanners.
“We hope that this ill-conceived, fraught, and unwanted idea is finally shelved for good,” said a spokesperson for the Legal Aid Society.
At the start of the pilot, Mayor Eric Adams said he plans to add the detectors to “every turnstile” in New York City. During the pilot, the scanners also helped police recover 12 knives, according to police.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to PIX11's inquiry about how many guns were recovered during the pilot.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
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