CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Area Transit system officials are looking at how to use artificial intelligence to help solve the safety problem. This comes after another close call Sunday evening when a man threatened riders with a knife.
A video posted to social media shows a man waving a knife on a Blue Line train Sunday evening in NoDa. Officials say it started with a verbal altercation between passengers.
“The gentleman did exit the train on his own. No one reported that to us. So no one reported that to CMPD,” Brent Cagle, Interim CEO CATS said.
No one was injured in the incident, but the close call reinforces the need for more security.
Cagle says officials are working with local colleges to research how to use artificial intelligence to fill in the gaps.
“It identifies suspicious activities or movements and then it can alert authorities, whether it be security personnel or CMPD to that for further investigation,” Cagle said.
Riders on the Blue Line Thursday weren’t too sure about the idea of using technology instead of real people.
“I don’t think AI would make me feel safer. I think I would have to have a physical presence of somebody with authority there. I don’t think a robot would do much, Faith Ellickson, CATS Rider said.
The latest CATS budget approved this week includes a $10 million dollar investment for security including off-duty CMPD officers and expanded fare enforcement.
“No one even checked if I had a ticket, so they might want to start there,” Liam Carrie, CATS Rider said.
Cats officials say security was working on Sunday night when the man wielded the knife, but officers were assigned to other locations.
“It is not possible for us to have security or CMPD everywhere all the time in the system. So we look at technology improvements,” Cagle said.
Some riders say better pay could be an incentive to recruit more physical security.
“Well, don’t be cheap. Pay people. That’s cheap and then it takes away resources,” Carrie said.
The man who was waving the knife has not been publicly identified. CMPD is still investigating the latest incident.
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