NYCLU & Legal Aid Preparing Litigation to Challenge Mayor Adams and the MTA’s Unconstitutional Subway Surveillance Program

NEW YORK CITY, NY – In response to Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) today deploying invasive, error-prone, and time-consuming scanners in New York City’s subway stations, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and the Legal Aid Society (LAS) released the following joint statement:

“With this misguided, fraught, and invasive technology now in effect, we are in the process of preparing litigation to protect the constitutional rights of all New Yorkers. New Yorkers did not consent to give up their rights or be NYPD guinea pigs for over-hyped and error-prone surveillance tech. We are prepared to protect the right of all subway riders to be free from NYPD intrusion and harassment.”

The technology is highly ineffective: during 2022, 85% of alarms from scanners installed at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx were false positives. It also has an alarming record of flagging items that are not illegal — such as laptops, for example — making it even more likely that people heading to work will be flagged and subjected to further needless searches by the police for no reason. 

The deployment of this unlawful technology also comes at a moment when subway safety is at an all time high: thus far in 2024, subways have had the lowest daily crime rate in 14 years.