NYPD Seeks Futuristic Technology to Let Guns 'Talk' to One Another

NEW YORK — "The New York Police Department is looking into adapting futuristic technology that would allow officers' guns to recognize one another in an effort to avoid the type of friendly fire that left a cop dead last week.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly asked his inner circle to compile a list of department initiatives that would help prevent confrontations between fellow officers. Omar J. Edwards, 25, was killed May 28 as he chased a burglary suspect. Edwards had just left work and was dressed in street clothes and had his service weapon drawn. Three plainclothes detectives came upon the scene. When Edwards turned after Officer Andrew Dunton yelled for him to stop, he was shot, according to the NYPD.

On Friday, Paul Browne, the deputy commissioner for public information at the NYPD, said the department is talking with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory about the possibility of tailoring technology for the department.

One idea involves the use of radio frequency tags that would allow officers to pinpoint where other cops are in the city, Browne said. Another involves tags that would work gun-to-gun and use an infrared sensor: When a weapon is pulled from an officer's holster it would trigger a signal that would be sent to the gun of a nearby officer. The signal may be seen or heard."

KEEP. IT. SIMPLE. STUPID.

The NYPD already has numerous ways for cops to tell one another apart from the common street wretch, and they frequently do not use those methods simply because they are lazy parasites that cannot be bothered to do much of anything beyond punching in and out and praying to return home safe every night.

Example: Each and every day each and every precinct has the color of the day. Off duty and undercover officers are TOLD to wear something featuring that particular color in order to be recognized by their uniformed brethren. Isn't 100% accurate, doesn't prevent ALL miscommunication, but DOES save lives on a regular basis.

All these amazingly stupid high-tech nonsense toys will do is to impress the high-tech community to find ways to beat and defeat them, but the single most important reason they'll fail is the average cop not paying enough attention and/or maintenance to what'll surely be a fragile system.

Can't get the fuckers to wear a red scarf when necessary and they want to dole out megabuck-rogers gadgets.

Sure.