1 week Ago
Credit: Keith Ewing/Flickr This story was published by The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Sign up for its newsletters here. As Chicago's ShotSpotter microphones come down following years of controversy about the gunshot detection device, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is trying out a new tool designed to detect the presence of firearms—this time, through video surveillance.
Through a $200,000 pilot, the CTA is adding ZeroEyes to its security measures. ZeroEyes is a software application that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and human analysis to scan surveillance footage and alert police to the presence of guns. Though the Philadelphia area–based company tried and failed to launch in its hometown, the CTA is still eager to test out the technology, saying its cameras are better equipped to handle it.
But in the aftermath of ShotSpotter, the CTA's ZeroEyes pilot is raising similar concerns about the effectiveness and ethics of using surveillance to try to stem shootings. "We have a record now of more than two decades where we have been promised that these types of technologies will make us more safe," said ACLU Illinois spokesperson Ed Yohnka. "Chicago is one of the most surveilled cities in the world and we're still plagued by a high level of gun violence.
" ZeroEyes proponents say it will improve public safety by helping police respond faster to potential gun threats. But there have been at least a few instances in and out of Chicago when ZeroEyes flagged objects that weren't firearms, raising questions about causing unnecessary police interactions. Cofounder Sam Alaimo said that ZeroEyes does everything it can to prevent false alarms.
The company did not respond to questions about its success rate or how many guns the team has intercepted. As for how Chicago police decide to respond to their alerts, Alaimo said that's ultimately "not our business." "We're not handling police response," Alaimo said.
"We just give them the...
Justin Agrelo, the Trace.
