DHS Outfits Boston’s New Hybrid Buses With On-Board Surveillance

“It’s about officer safety—that’s first and foremost,” MBTA Deputy Chief of Investigative Services Kenneth Sprague told Boston Magazine. “Some of the calls we get are in regards to a person with a gun or a knife, or a fight in progress on the bus. This technology will allow officers to see what they’re getting themselves involved in before boarding the vehicle.”

The surveillance systems’ “Live Look In” feature will allow the MBTA’s headquarters and individual patrol cars to access video from any bus in real-time. Screens at the front of each bus will allegedly show riders where their cameras are currently aimed.

“This is the newest technology out there, as far as being able to access the cameras on the bus,” he said. “[Officers] can punch up the cameras, and then actually see what’s going on.”

Sprague also argued that the mere sight of cameras would deter unwanted behavior from would-be troublemakers on board.

“I think it certainly benefits the public, because for most people if they were going to commit a crime on a bus with cameras, we would hope they would think twice about that,” Sprague said.

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