In a misguided bid to boost public safety, the Chicago Transit Authority is using AI technology in an attempt to stop guns from being brought onto train cars. The CTA (and Illinois law) prohibits the lawful carrying of firearms on public transportation; a prohibition routinely ignored by armed criminals, but one that licensed concealed carry holders are expected to abide by, even if it means they're disarmed throughout the course of their daily routine. 

The ACLU has raised concerns about the CTA's experiment using Zero Eyes technology to scan for firearms, but their issues don't have anything to do with violating the Second Amendment rights of passengers. 

ACLU Illinois spokesman Ed Yohnka said the biggest concern of his organization is the lack of public input.  

ZeroEyes’ technology was implemented without public discussion, he said. And it adds another layer of technology to a surveillance network that has failed to improve public safety.

“This adds an additional level of surveillance without a corresponding public discussion or debate if that level of surveillance is wanted by residents of Chicago,” Yohnka said.

These technologies “all come with allure of adding more safety, but they never seem to deliver on that promise.”

There’s also the question of the technology diverting police and security resources to false alarms, Yohnka said. 

The CTA acknowledged the system cannot distinguish between real and toy guns. That’s why each potential gun detection is reviewed by humans before officers are dispatched, Kilgannon said.

Recognizing the right of passengers to lawfully bear arms would make the system even less useful, but that's no excuse for infringing on their right to carry a firearm in self-defense. Unfortunately, while Illinois' law has faced legal challenges, for the time being it remains in effect, even though the policy prevents those licensed concealed carry holders who depend on public transportation from being able to carry as they travel through the even the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in the Windy City. 

The constitutional concerns are bad enough, but that's not the only issue with Zero Eyes, which is designed to spot firearms. Guns aren't the only weapons used in the commission of violent crimes in the transit network. In recent weeks, we've seen attacks on passengers by suspects using hammers, pepper spray, and fists and feet. Zero Eyes might be effective at identifying a firearm, but it's going to take more than that to prevent violent crimes on the public transportation system. 

CTA spokeswoman Maddie Kilgannon defended the new technology as adding more “eyes” to its already expansive surveillance network of more than 33,000 cameras — the largest of any transit agency in the nation.

In a statement, CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said “this added measure of protection provides additional peace of mind to everyone.”

“Ensuring the safety and security of our riders and employees is our number one priority at the CTA, and this pilot allows us to explore how new technology may be able to support these efforts,” Carter said.

Those 33,000 cameras don't seem to be doing much to stop crime on the CTA trains and buses either, to be honest. Sure, the video images are helpful in identifying a suspect after a crime has been committed, but based on reports like this, even after an arrest has been made the revolving door of justice in Cook County spits many of those suspects right back out on the street... or the train station. 

Prosecutors said a group of people targeted a 29-year-old man who was sleeping on a Red Line train as it approached 95th Street at 7:40 a.m. on July 12.  

... One of the men put the victim in a chokehold and took him to the floor while another member of the group took the phone, according to a CPD report.

Police arrested 21-year-old Briana Bush shortly after the robbery, but four people got away. Last month, the CPD released surveillance images of the four. 

On Tuesday, a CTA surveillance camera operator saw one of the suspects on a video feed from the Loop, according to a police report. The surveillance operator notified patrol units, who found the man, 20-year-old Paul Emmanuel, standing on a sidewalk adjacent to Pritzker Park.

He is accused of being the robber who put the victim in a chokehold and pulled him to the floor. Police said he identified himself in the surveillance photos that were released to the public.

According to CWB Chicago, police asked a Cook County judge to keep Emmanuel in custody to protect the public safety, but Judge Ankur Srivastava instead released Emmanuel with an ankle monitor. 

There's a good reason why CTA riders might feel unsafe when they're on board a bus or train. Violent assaults are taking place on a regular basis, despite the extensive surveillance system. The CTA isn't keeping riders safe, and can't scan the hearts and minds of riders to determine if they're just trying to get from Point A to Point B or are looking for victims to prey upon instead. Illinois could let riders (at least those with valid concealed carry licenses) lawfully bear arms in self-defense on the CTA system, but with the Democrats in complete control of the levers of state government, that's not likely to happen anytime soon. They'd much rather offer the illusion of safety at the expense of a fundamental civil right.