Detecting corruption

New York City, or more specifically the embattled Mayor Eric Adams of the city I call home, has been dominating the headlines in recent weeks, and for all the wrong reasons.

You see, Mayor Adams was charged with federal bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy offenses in an indictment released on Sept. 26 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York. Since the indictment was unsealed, mayoral staffers left and right have either resigned, been fired, and even jailed, which begs the question – not if, but when is Mayor Adams going to step down and leave City Hall in disgrace?

Well, until Mayor Adams’ fate is determined, I might as well pile on to the trials and tribulations that my beloved mayor has endured over the past month. While the mayor has more serious fish to fry with the indictments against him, the New York Department of Investigation recently launched a probe into his efforts to install weapons scanners in the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) subway system.

As you might recall, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) deployed AI-powered weapons screening solutions – developed by Evolv Technology - at the Fulton St. subway station on July 26, marking the first time such technology was implemented in the 119-year history of the NYC subway system. 

Evolv’s technology was being used by the NYPD as part of a 30-day pilot program to detect weapons carried by travelers into the Metropolitan Transit Authority's (MTA) subway system. 

Mayor Adams originally announced the pilot program on March 28 following a rash of subway shootings. Evolv’s scanners were tested at 30 NYC subway stations in the weeks leading up to the July 26 rollout. 

According to the New York Daily News, the Department of Investigation is looking into how the administration vetted Evolv before allowing it to install its weapons detection technology at various locations.

While civil rights and transit advocates decried the introduction of these weapons detection systems, the selection of Evolv has now come under scrutiny.

At the time, the mayor noted that while Evolv’s weapons detection systems were to be utilized during the 30-day pilot program, he encouraged other security companies to reach out and have their weapons detection technology tested in NYC subway stations. 

“We're urging all companies out there that are looking to develop this technology, we want them to reach out to our team because we want the best product for New Yorkers,” Adams said. “Competition is good, and we're going to see some new innovation in this area.” 

Well, apparently, the mayor’s urging for an open competition from other manufacturers was all talk and no action, as the Daily News noted that no other company has “received the same front-and-center treatment as Evolv.”

Adams also deployed Evolv scanners at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx in 2022 as part of another pilot program - saying at the time that he was looking into adding them in NYC schools - as well as at City Hall security checkpoints. Do I see a pattern here?

And, by the way, did we ever get the results of the 30-day subway pilot program? Were any weapons detected by those underground scanners? Well, we’re still waiting for those results to be revealed by either the NYPD or the Mayor’s Office.

In August, Adams stated that the results of the subway testing were “very impressive” and that the NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban would ultimately release those results.

Slight problem – Caban resigned on Sept. 12 after getting his phone seized by federal agents as part of a criminal investigation. Who knows if those test results will ever see the light of day at this point.

Needless to say, it’s been quite an eventful couple of weeks in NYC, specifically at City Hall. As Mayor Adams’ circle of friends continues to dwindle with the rash of departures, and with his own future in doubt, here’s a valuable lesson, courtesy of 19th century English historian Lord Acton - “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."