The results are in! Evolv gun scanners recover zero guns in subways

The month-long pilot of gun scanners in New York City’s subway system over the summer recovered zero guns, the NYPD said this week after City & State wrote about their silence.

Two months after the pilot of Evolv gun scanners was completed, and following multiple requests from City & State, the NYPD said in a brief statement that in 30 days and across 20 subway stations, the Evolv pilot recovered 12 knives. They did not mention recovering any firearms. They also reported that out of 2,749 total scans, there were 118 false positives.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly indicated interest in gun detection tech. That interest culminated in March with a theatrical press conference in the Fulton Street subway station to announce the city would test it out. The monthlong pilot of Evolv’s technology – which resembles walk-through metal detectors but claims to use “advanced sensor technology and artificial intelligence” to distinguish weapons from other items – has faced backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates. Responding to the brief report from the NYPD on the pilot’s results, the Legal Aid Society called it a “failed pilot.” “It’s now abundantly clear why the administration delayed releasing these figures,” the organization said in a statement. “Not only did the Evolv scanners detect zero firearms, but they triggered 118 false alarms, compromising the safety of subway riders. This is objectively a failure, no matter how hard City Hall tries to spin this data.”

The NYPD did not comment further on the pilot, but said earlier this month that it had not entered into any contract with Evolv. The NYPD has said that they didn’t pay for the 30-day pilot.

The Daily News reported earlier this month that the New York City Department of Investigation is probing the Adams administration and how it acquired the Evolv pilot. The company has come under scrutiny from federal regulators and in lawsuits, including over allegations that it’s made misleading statements about what the technology can actually do.