Commissioner Kelly Touts High-Tech Crime Fighting

The NYPD must remain vigilant as homegrown terrorists continue to threaten the city, but better technology can help thwart attacks, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday.

Kelly showed off examples of high-tech equipment during a speech Wednesday at the Association for a Better New York, including a system that allows officers to scan security footage for specific details — like the color of a suspect's hat.

The equipment is part of the Lower Manhattan Security initiative, a network of cameras aimed at monitoring suspicious activity. The technology is already being used in some parts of the network.

Kelly said proactive policing is imperative, warning that even as Times Square bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad pleaded guilty to terrorism charges Monday in a failed attack, radical Islam shows no sign of receding.

"Faisal Shahzad's statement in pleading guilty on Monday served as a chilling reminder of what New York is up against: homegrown terrorists who make no apologizes for trying to kill as many New Yorkers as possible to avenge what they perceive as American responsibility for Muslim deaths abroad," Kelly said.

The department is also making progress on the Midtown Security Initiative, a network of cameras that is expected to be monitoring upper Manhattan by 2013. Federal funding is imperative, he said.

The association is dedicated to improving the quality of life for those that live and work in New York City and for those that visit, according to its website.