NYPD may soon scan people on streets for guns

New York, Jan.18 (ANI): The New York Police Department (NYPD) is testing new technology that could help to trace a firearm concealed under clothing.

Though using heat-seeking devices on the streets is a violation of American constitutional rights, the NYPD needs all available tools to fight crime and keep guns off the streets.

City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the technology, which is similar to infrared imaging, includes a mechanism that can detect the radiation emitting from a person's body.

Because the energy cannot travel through metal, a concealed gun can be detected from the image captured by the lens of the detector, the New York Post quoted Kelly, as saying.

The technology, which is being tested by the NYPD and the Defense Department, however, can be used only at a distance of three to four feet.

Police hope to install the devices on department vehicles in the near future to identify people carrying guns on the street. (ANI)