The streets in the rotten apple may have just got a little safer (or dangerous) on how you portray this situation of New York City. The NYPD will soon be testing a prototype vehicle with the latest advances in public surveillance, ER, and public safety.
Roaming criminals and J-walkers in the city should be on notice for the foreseeable future, as the “smart car” is part of a new long term plan known as NYPD2020. The plan focuses on advancements in police technology and teaching counter-terrorism awareness classes for traffic enforcement agents, which sounds a little late for some.
Check after the jump for more information and specifications on the cars.
It has two infrared monitors mounted on the trunk that record any numbers it sees—such as license plates and addresses. It has surveillance cameras and air sensors capable of sending real-time information to police headquarters. The car’s scanner can read license plates, then check the results against a database that contains the plate numbers of cars that are stolen, may have been involved in a crime, or have outstanding infractions. The data is stored for an indefinite period, though that will likely change.
With the government beefing up the cruiser behind fingerprint smashing, will the city really be any safer as a cops go snooping around your crimes and maybe even more —your personal life— without thinking twice? Who needs your green light anymore, right? These questions need to be answered, because NYPD’s track record in recent memory has been extremely questionable when it comes to civil rights, namely wiretapping mosques and the infamous stop and frisk program (that everybody hates).
For the sake of national security, though.