The New York City Comptroller recommends dropping ShotSpotter, a
controversial gunshot detection system with an alarming failure rate.
iStock-1342530364 News for Evolv Weapon Sensing Technology keeps
getting worse with failure in NYC and multiple government
investigations. iStock-1342530364
New York City has beta-tested an artificial intelligence (AI) gun and
knife detection system in its subway system for the past month. The
test results are now in. Either every New Yorker is obeying the ban on
firearms on public transportation, or the system does not work.
During the trial month of the system being used in the city, only 12
knives were detected, and [1]no firearms were found in the subways,
leading many to wonder if the system worked at all. Every knife the
system detected was opened carried. No concealed weapons of any kind
were found during the pilot program. New York City itself called the
pilot program an objective failure. It will not continue the pilot
program.
The AI system known as Evolv alerted police to the presence of 118 guns, but
after investigating, law enforcement determined that all the alerts were
false positives. Of the 12 knives that were found, all were legally carried.
The system did not catch a single person breaking the law, which led many
privacy advocates to worry about the [2]efficacy of using the system.
One group that has been critical of the system’s use in the [3]New York
subway system is the Legal Aid Society. They believed using the
technology would lead to more unnecessary stop-and-frisk situations.
The Legal Aid Society also called the city to the carpet for hiding the
abject failure of the technology.
The system had known flaws when it was put into place. For example, the
system would sometimes mix up iPads for firearms. The AI mistakenly
thought the iPad was a cylinder of a revolver. Other mundane items
would also give false positives. It is unclear why iPads are confused
as cylinders of revolvers since they do not even remotely resemble each
other.
“Given this failed pilot, all the other overwhelming evidence
against using Evolv’s weapons detectors, and the surrounding
controversies, including lawsuits and various investigations, we
hope that this ill-conceived, fraught, and unwanted idea is finally
shelved for good,” the group said in a statement.
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) also threatened to sue New
York City over the use of the technology. They claimed that the
machines violated the Fourth Amendment rights of subway riders. The
NYCLU also pointed to the many false positives that lead to unnecessary
searches in facilities where the systems are in use, such as hospitals.
The Evolv system has been used in several hospitals since 2022. It has been
the source of controversy because almost all detections have been false
positives, and no illegal guns have ever been detected in the past three
years of use. Hospitals spend millions on the system with a track record of
failure while medical costs keep skyrocketing. Many believe that the company
doesn’t have a working product.
The [4]news for Evolv would get even worse as the company disclosed
last Friday that some of its employees “engaged in misconduct”
surrounding business deals. These alleged improprieties have led to the
company being investigated by several federal and local agencies.
These agencies are alleging the company artificially increased its
revenue by $4 million and $6 million in the past two years. The company
is publicly traded and admitted to the overstatement of profits. Stock
prices fell drastically by 40% after the company’s public statement.
The Security Exchange Commission (SEC) is looking into the company for
its misstatements of profits to determine if it was intentional.
“The company will provide an update as soon as it can,” said the
spokeswoman for Evolv, Alexandra Ozerkis. “In the meantime, we
remain focused on serving our customers and committed to our mission
of making people and places safe. The fundamentals of our business
remain strong.”
The Department of Investigation for [5]New York City, an internal
watchdog, is probing Mayor Eric Adams’s administration over the
contract with Evolv. They believe backroom dealings were happening
between the mayor’s office and the technology firm. They claim that the
mayor’s office did not properly vet the technology before entering the
pilot program. The investigation is ongoing.
Evlov’s Board of Directors has now taken the extraordinary step of firing the
company’s CEO, Peter George, to try to calm the waters. Evlov co-founder
Michael Ellenbogen will step into the role as interim CEO until a replacement
can be found. Mr. Ellenbogen had served as the company’s chief innovation
officer. He will receive a raise of $25,000 a month for his new
responsibilities.
Evlov is a company in trouble with a product that has given questionable
results. Only time will tell if the company survives or goes down in flames.
__________________________________________________________________
About John Crump
Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has
written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and
on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and
sons, follow him on X at [6]@crumpyss, or at [7]www.crumpy.com.
John Crump
References
1.
https://www.ammoland.com/2022/04/ny-subway-shooting-another-massive-gun-control-failure/
2.
https://www.ammoland.com/2022/04/gun-control-failed-and-innocent-people-died-on-the-new-york-subway/
3.
https://www.ammoland.com/2022/03/dangerous-subways-and-dangerous-judges/
4.
https://apnews.com/article/evolv-technologies-investigates-sales-practices-48b2e1361bd5ff8db158a31fc8af278d
5.
https://www.ammoland.com/2024/03/new-yorks-martial-law-fails-disarmed-citizens-risk-their-lives-on-subway/
6.
https://x.com/crumpyss
7.
http://www.crumpy.com/
