N.Y.P.D. LAUNCHES "DOMAIN AWARENESS SYSTEM" FOR SURVEILLANCE

The New York City Police Department has launched a new citywide surveillance system that will allow police to monitor thousands of cameras around the city and instantly call up detailed information about surveillance targets. The Domain Awareness System is connected to about 3,000 television cameras stationed around New York City — with more cameras reportedly planned — as well as several hundred license-plate readers mounted on police cars and stationed on bridges, tunnels and streets. It centralizes information including live video feeds, maps, license plate readers and city records, allowing police to gain instant access to information about a suspect's arrest records, 911 calls associated with a suspect, and related crimes that have occurred in a particular area. It also allows police to track cars associated with suspects and find out where they have been over the past several months. The system was developed by the NYPD and software giant Microsoft, and the city will reportedly get 30 percent of the revenue when the technology is sold to police forces around the country -