NYPD reportedly testing a high-tech police cruiser

[Himanshu Arora]

As part of a new program called NYPD2020, the New York Police Department is testing a prototype "smart car" that can do a lot more than just carting officers from one place to another. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the high-tech cruiser can record license plate numbers and addresses through infrared monitors mounted on its trunk, and has air sensors and surveillance cameras capable of sending real-time information to police headquarters.

The data scanned through infrared monitors will be checked against a crime database that contains records of vehicles that are stolen, involved in crime, or the ones that have outstanding infractions. At present, the data collected is stored for an indefinite period, "though that will likely change", according to Deputy Inspector Brandon del Pozo, who is in charge of the program.

The prototype car is also capable of printing reports and scanning barcodes, The Verge reported. According to del Pozo, the future cruisers might include facial recognition sensors and fingerprint scanners, though he did not explain how these technologies would be used. Although some of these technologies are already present in some squad cars, the idea behind the prototype is to test all of them in conjunction.

The smart car is one of the dozen projects (ranging from high-tech to bureaucratic) included in the program, which was prepared in November for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Though the department has been testing the prototype for about a year now from the city's 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights, it's up to incoming police commissioner William Bratton, who will take charge on Jan 1, 2014, how the program moves forward.

Image via Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/55140-nypd-reportedly-testing-a-high-tech-police-cruiser.html

 

[Guest]

I thought they already did this. What's a police state without automated logging of all civilian activity?

 

[TheDreams]

Great, with the facial recognition the government will be able to track almost anyone...

 

[Mister_K]

Well, I guess I'll start wearing masks from now on...

 

[Chuck Cortes]

One the one hand you wanna believe that such tech would be great to catch criminals, but on the other it sucks that it requires to treat everyone as a criminal in order to achieve this and in the process a lot of innocent people will have their lives ruined or at the least interrupted every time these systems make errors.

Personally I would rather cops work harder if it means less innocent people getting screwed.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I don't have a problem with this, because the surveillance is done from a distance. Using my own equipment is an invasion of personal privacy that is unacceptable. Put a camera on every mailbox for all I care, but keep the **** off my personal phones and PCs.

 

[Wendig0]

Wonderful... More ammunition to support New York's unconstitutional stop and frisk, guilty until proven innocent police state mindset.

 

[NewSparrow]

The only thing missing is Tom Cruise and the hologram screen, for his 'Minority Report' patrols...

 

[Hasbean]

That's great news. The more civil liberties we are willing to relinquish, the safer we are from terrorists. God bless the US of A.

 

[Guest]

We have that for years here in Montreal and I guess it's not only Montreal but the SQ (Sureté du Québec) as well

 

[Guest]

Why do we allow these criminals to do these things with our money?

 

[cliffordcooley]

Because we are spineless.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I wonder if the venerable old Ford Crown Victoria will be programmed to call in at Dunkin Donuts every half hour to keep their overworked operators supplied...

 

[Xclusiveitalian]

Remember, "those who surrender liberty for security deserve neither" - Benjamin Franklin

 

[AnonymousSurfer]

While the idea sounds nice for stolen vehicles, I feel that this can be easily abused in the future. And as a NY resident, this sounds like some real ***.

Although now that I think about it, what's to say they don't already do this with the thousands of security cameras? I guess the only difference would be that this method is in real time?

 

[tipstir]

They have to do what they have too. All those with parking, speeding and running the traffic light tickets fines are not paid will be in so much trouble! If your wanted, your goose is cooked! Here they do that with the still cams and 360 spinning-cam at the traffic lights. Real bad here with those items at the traffic lights. Some intersections here you best not try to jump the light if you do you get a $158 ticket sent to you. Surprise! Now that the Fire department can turn switch the lights from green to red on you. I have to watch out for that as well. On the Highway here if you speed over the speed limit there are senors on the poles to measure your speed. Most do 70 to 80 mph here in 65 mph.

Operation centipede on the highway was done in CT capital area to test and catch several drivers trying to get to work. The way this had worked is like this.

First State Trooper - monitors you:
Second State Trooper - tracks you:
Third State Trooper - goes after you:

 

[Guest]

..one step closer to Robocop

 

[fimbles]

This have been going on in the UK for years now.

Its called ANPR:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition

 

[captaincranky]

I wonder if the venerable old Ford Crown Victoria will be programmed to call in at Dunkin Donuts every half hour to keep their overworked operators supplied...

Won't it be ironic when the cameras on the venerable Crown Vicky start recording that the cops driving it, are parked at Dunkin Donuts for the 8th or so time on any given day.

Then the cameras should be dosed with spyware which calls and reports it to the local TV station.

When you come right down to it, all George Orwell had wrong, was the year.....

 

[tipstir]

This have been going on in the UK for years now.

Its called ANPR:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition

Yeah UK Privacy Laws are different than here in the USA. Here we complain more and nothing gets implemented in years instead of days. My local Sheriff Duties drive around eating while looking at this laptop.