“Mayor Gary McCarthy is seeking to pull back the curtain on his Smart Cities initiative following mounting lawmaker questions over costs, transparency, security protocols and the overall scope of the effort.
The city will hold at least four public meetings to discuss the program, McCarthy said on Monday; he’s asking asking the City Council to approve $2 million in capital funding in next year’s proposed budget.
At least a portion of those funds will be used to deploy gunshot-detection technology in neighborhoods prone to gun violence, including Mont Pleasant, Hamilton Hill and Central State Street.
Deployment will be done in the form of sensors installed on utility poles as National Grid continues to update 4,400 street lights in the city to LED technology.
Beyond the gunshot detectors, McCarthy and Signal Superintendent John Coluccio envision a broader network of sensors and wireless nodes, each with unique functions that can be utilized by numerous city departments, from traffic control to law enforcement.”
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DeMola, Pete. Schenectady Gazette 21 October 2019.