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8/29/2024
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today announced it's piloting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to monitor for and alert security officials to brandished guns.
A 12-month, $200,000 contract has been awarded to ZeroEyes, an AI gun detection software, for the monitoring of multiple cameras across the rail system. ZeroEyes' technology is already in use to detect firearms at Navy Pier, in school districts, businesses, government facilities and military bases.
“Instances of crime on the system are comparatively rare, and the CTA is proud to provide safe and reliable transportation to roughly, 1 million riders a day,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. in a press release. “Our hope is this added measure of protection provides additional peace of mind to everyone.”
Utilizing existing security cameras in place across the CTA rail system, ZeroEyes uses situational awareness software based on advanced machine learning AI and computer vision to detect visible firearms. No facial identification technology is used.
Once identified by the software, an image of the suspected firearm is automatically sent to ZeroEyes for human verification by its staff of military and law enforcement veterans. Upon verification, Chicago Police Department and CTA officials will be notified with the image of the firearm and location it was taken. CTA officials say this process usually takes less than a minute.