Terahertz radiation fits somewhere between microwave and infrared on the electromagnetic spectrum, per Phys.org. It can travel through clothes, but only penetrates a few millimeters of skin. And so devices are being developed that can be used to scan for guns and bombs. See a resulting image here.
The NYPD is anxious to get them mounted on police cars so they can spot gun toting pedestrians from several feet away. Medical issues aside, there's the issue of privacy.
Privacy advocates contend that the use of a scanner has the potential of violating individual privacy if the devices are used surreptitiously or otherwise without the person's consent. See Drive-by Gun Scans Prompt Privacy Questions. The NYPD says it is a good alternative to the police frisking many NY citizens are subjected to when they are stopped. Generally, a person out in public has waived his/her expectation of privacy. However, police still need probable cause to stop and frisk someone. But a car mounted terahertz wave scanner could be used indiscriminately on everyone walking down the street.
The bad publicity over the TSA air passenger scanners seems to have subsided. However, passengers still have the options of the full body scan, a pat down, or not flying. Pedestrians on the street won't have those options. And, if probable cause is lacking, subjecting a person to a device that peeks under their clothes would seem to be rather intrusive. We'll see how tolerant New Yorkers are once the devices go to work.
Finally, the fact that the NYPD is even considering this is a testament to their fear of guns in the hands of citizens.
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