S.F. Muni cameras to look for abnormal behavior

Rachel Gordon, John Wildermuth

Friday, June 8, 2012

A network of high-tech surveillance cameras programmed to detect unusual behavior and alert authorities will be installed in the Muni Metro subway system.(The City Insider wonders, however, how the system will decipher what's normal weird, and what's truly weird on Muni.)

The $3.6 million project, to be installed over five years starting next summer, will be found inside the stations and at the portals of the subway tunnels.

Using state and federal grants, the Municipal Transportation Agency contracted with Houston's BRS Labs to install about 400 of the smart cameras to monitor suspicious activity, such as a car appearing in one of the Metro tunnels, as occurred in January when an alleged drunk driver steered his sport utility vehicle into the tunnel near Church and Duboce streets, wreaking havoc on the morning commute.

The security cameras, relying on behavioral-recognition software, will alert staff at Muni central control for such incidents as a person on the tracks, an unattended package left on a boarding platform or the gathering of a large group that doesn't fit the norm.

The software technology stores information on what a normal situation should be in a particular location and at a particular time, and if and when a camera picks up anything out of the ordinary, a warning will then be transmitted to Muni personnel who can decide how to respond. However, the system can also automatically shut down a train without human intervention, said Muni's Paul Rose.