NYPD
New York City Police Foundation Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly recently announced that his agency, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, has been working for the past three years to develop scanner technology that could detect concealed firearms.
The technology would show officers weapons hidden under clothing using a technology similar to infrared imaging, detecting radiation that human bodies naturally emit. Because that radiation cannot travel through metal, hidden weapons will be revealed when the flow of energy is blocked.
Though this technology is still in its testing phase, concerns have already arisen. Some fear that such scanners would cause police to arrest people for carrying an iPod or other harmless metal device if the image on the scanner is not clear enough. Civil Liberties groups have expressed privacy concerns about such technology, fearing that law-abiding civilians will be subject to unwarranted pat-downs.
[via NYT]
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