Farrell seeks cameras at stations
London bombing prompts call for video surveillance on Metro-North

Stamford Advocate/Mark Ginocchio | July 18 2005

After recent subway and bus bombings in London, Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell wants to install video surveillance equipment at the Westport train station and hopes other municipalities on the New Haven Line will follow her lead.

London police quickly got leads on bombing suspects because of a high-tech video security network in the Underground subway system, Farrell said.

Such surveillance equipment could help prevent terrorist attacks on Metro-North Railroad or help police track suspects if something were to happen at a station, said Farrell, a Democrat who will challenge Rep. Christopher Shays next year for the Fourth Congressional District seat.

"There ought to be improved surveillance equipment along the entire Metro-North line," Farrell said. "There should be cameras on platforms and cameras in the parking lots. We should at least try to improve the surveillance technologies that we have in place."

Farrell, chairwoman of the South Western Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, a state agency made up of the eight municipal leaders in lower Fairfield County, plans to raise the idea at the group's next meeting at the end of the month.

The Westport train station has no video surveillance equipment, Farrell said. The town investigated the cost before Sept. 11, 2001, but it was too expensive, she said.

She hopes the cost of some of the technology has decreased and that the state Department of Transportation or Metro-North Railroad would help pay for the project, which would need employees to monitor the cameras.

Farrell hopes the Westport station can be a "test case" for lower Fairfield County. Shays, R-Conn., is a member of the Congressional Homeland Security Committee. Additional security is needed at rail stations and public transportation hubs, but other steps must be taken to secure the nation's mass transit systems, Shays said.

"We need to take a broader view of protecting our public transportation system, developing a national strategy and focusing our resources in high-risk areas," he said in a statement. "The most important part of homeland security, however, is detecting and preventing terrorists before they ever have the chance to get on a train or a bus with a bomb. That's why it is critical we reauthorize the Patriot Act to give our law enforcement the tools necessary to prevent terrorist attacks, not just react to them."

Stations on the New Haven Line are owned by the state or the municipality, so the level of video surveillance varies.

Security has been heightened at the four train stations in Greenwich, First Selectman Jim Lash said. He would not provide details.

"We do different things at different places," Lash said. "I think at the moment, what we have in place is adequate."

The Stamford train station, the busiest on the New Haven Line, is operated by the state. It has surveillance cameras on the concourse, platforms and tunnel, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.

A 1999 ordinance prevents the city from placing security cameras on municipal property unless the footage is used to monitor traffic, Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy said. Since Sept. 11 and the London bombings, it may be time to review the ordinance, Malloy said. "I think it's a good idea," he said. "Surveillance is becoming a good tool for monitoring things other than traffic."

Board of Representatives President David Martin, D-19, agreed it might be time to repeal or modify the ordinance. Members limited use to monitoring traffic because they were concerned cameras could be used to spy on people, he said.

"At the time it didn't seem like there weren't any drawbacks," Martin said "But times change and maybe we need to revisit that."

Surveillance at the two train stations in Darien is the same as Westport, First Selectwoman Evonne Klein said. She would support more equipment if they could find a way to fund it, Klein said.

"In the wake of what's happened, we should take the next step and have this equipment up and down the line," she said.

Jim Cameron, vice chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, said investing in more surveillance equipment is not worthwhile because cameras do little to prevent attacks. "Cameras can really only be useful after the bombings and they have no deterrent value," Cameron said. "I don't think terrorists will be walking around with big signs saying, 'I'm a terrorist.' I don't know how cameras will determine that someone's a terrorist."

Robert Wilson, executive director of the South Western Regional Planning Agency, said there's no way to completely safeguard the entire rail system, but Farrell may be on to something.

"I'm all for it and SWRPA would be happy to contribute to these efforts as well," Wilson said. "With (federal) bills floating around seeking more funds for rail security, this is certainly a great opportunity to improve security in places on the railroad."

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