CTA pilots ZeroEyes’ gun detection technology

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has announced the pilot implementation of ZeroEyes’ proactive Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based gun detection technology.

“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 and further enhance already successful and effective technologies currently in place,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “Instances of crime on the system are comparatively rare, and the CTA is proud to provide safe and reliable transportation to roughly one million riders a day. Our hope is this added measure of protection provides additional peace of mind to everyone.”

The CTA said that as part of its ongoing commitment to a multi-pronged approach to combating incidents of crime on and near its properties, they have partnered with the technology company ZeroEyes, which provides a visual gun detection and situational awareness software platform based on computer vision and advanced machine learning AI. The CTA notes that ZeroEyes’ platform is also currently in use at Chicago’s Navy Pier.

ZeroEyes technology uses existing digital security camera footage to identify only brandished guns. If a brandished firearm is detected, an image is automatically sent to the ZeroEyes Operation Centers (ZOCs), which are staffed by military and law enforcement veterans for human verification. The ZeroEyes staff would then verify if the object detected is in fact a true brandished firearm and will then notify local law enforcement so they can immediately respond. ZeroEyes does not feature facial identification technology.

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) provides law enforcement and patrols the CTA system. The CTA’s Security Department works in close coordination with CPD on a daily basis, CTA’s security-camera network is used to identify criminal activity and investigate reported customer and employee issues on the rail and bus systems.  The CTA supplements CPD’s enforcement efforts with hundreds of additional personnel deployed across the system daily.

CTA awarded a 12-month contract to ZeroEyes, valued at up to $200,000, and will provide 24/7 monitoring of multiple cameras across the rail system, plus supervision and supporting equipment. This contract is being paid for with funds from the annual operating security budget.