City buses in Boston will be equipped with $7 million worth of live video surveillance technology — thanks to the Department of Homeland Security.
New 360-degree lenses will soon be fixtures in 225 buses, a local CBS affiliate reported. Officials plan to have the installation complete by the end of summer.
“The riders of the [Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority] have been asking for cameras for a long time and we think that this will give them confidence that we are doing everything possible to protect them,” said Joe O’Connor, deputy superintendent of the MBTA Transit Police.
The surveillance system, fully funded by Homeland Security grant money, will allow officers in some police cruisers to touch a screen and immediately see inside the buses they are following, CBS reported. Law enforcement officials at a dispatch center will also be able to monitor hundreds of vehicles at one time.
The transit authority said it is the first in nation with the technology.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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