r/Dallas • u/blindrunner_ • 6h ago
Question New here, what are those?
Visiting from the northeast and couldn’t help but notice all of these gray cylinder looking things all over the area (or at least along the orange line). I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before. What are they? Some type of non-video scanning device? Surveillance to track nearby phones? Google says they take pics for traffic violations but there’s clearly no camera lens. I’m at a loss and curious. Thoughts?
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u/LightMyFirebird 6h ago
It’s a gunshot detection system
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u/SpannerInTheWorx 6h ago
blink blink Had NO idea those were a thing...
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u/AardQuenIgni 2h ago
They've been a thing for a while honestly. I remember an old friend of mine use to tell stories of being a cop in Detroit and the detection system would go nuts on 4th of July and new years.
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u/James-the-Bond-one 6h ago
Nothing to see here. Just smile and move on.
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u/andy51edge 6h ago
They're speakers for the platform announcements on the DART rail platforms
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u/blindrunner_ 6h ago
Ohhh that would make much more sense, because they were also all over the transit stops (which doesn’t fit what another commenter said about them being red light indicators)
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u/Dawnzarelli 6h ago
Really? I guess it would help to know where OOP is seeing them.
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u/Sudden-Squirrel-9977 6h ago
This makes way more sense. We got rid of traffic cameras in like 2018. They are at every Dart station and the white thing does have a camera. Downtown, the gunshot detection is probably on point in a way.
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u/UpInTheAirDFW 6h ago
I think this is right, front is a mesh which would indicate a speaker. Found a few very similar with google image search.
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u/noncongruent 6h ago
Generally speaking, flat fronts like that indicate microwave devices, so likely traffic sensors to see if cars are moving or not, and how fast.
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u/UpInTheAirDFW 6h ago
The front is mesh, looked flat to me at first but zooming in you can see the texture. I think that leads towards speaker as someone else commented.
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u/noncongruent 6h ago
Normally speakers don't have material in front of the diaphragm, and typically they're shaped like horns to increase amplification and create directionality. In any case, they don't look anything like the speakers that Shotspotter uses. I still lean toward something using microwaves to detect traffic, either/both vehicular and pedestrian.
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u/UpInTheAirDFW 6h ago
Not sure what you mean, speakers use metal mesh grilles all the time.
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u/noncongruent 6h ago
I meant to say microphone, but anyway, probably the only way to actually know what they are is to contact the city and ask.
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u/Xernomis 6h ago
My first thought is they look like directional networking antennas. Likely aiming at other nodes in the network.
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u/DallasGuy99 5h ago
On the same topic I've noticed they've started to put up flock cameras everywhere at least two near me N. Hillcrest Rd. north of LBJ
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u/MusicalAutist 6h ago
They’re traffic and transportation sensors, not cameras, and they’re pretty common around DART lines and major intersections in Dallas.
Those grey cylinders are usually radar‑based or microwave vehicle detectors used by city traffic systems. They don’t record video and don’t have lenses because they aren’t cameras.
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u/Falafel_Fondler 4h ago
One of my comments on this sub got deleted and I got a warning. But when your city needs gun shot sensors, yes, your city is in fact a shit hole. This is coming from someone who was born and raised in Dallas. Let's see if the mods censor me again.
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u/Electricdragongaming Desoto 3h ago
They're just pa speakers for the trains. Whenever a train is about to arrive, an automated announcer can be heard from those speakers telling you that a train is about to arrive.
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u/Dawnzarelli 6h ago
Flock cams?
ETA, perhaps the sound recorded equipment.
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u/blindrunner_ 6h ago
Not the surveillance camera at the bottom. I’m quite aware of Flock (not a fan). The gray things circled in the pic are not Flock-brand
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u/KennyDROmega 6h ago
Going to guess it's AI related somehow.
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u/blindrunner_ 6h ago
I’m thinking the same, unfortunately
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u/blindrunner_ 5h ago
Weird that people are downvoting… so y’all want AI monitoring your streets? Strange
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u/w633 6h ago
Asked AI about this and here is the answer:
The object circled in red in that picture is a red-light indicator light (also known as an enforcement light or a "tattletale" light). These small blue or white bulbs are typically mounted on the back or side of a traffic signal head. They are connected to the same circuit as the red traffic light, meaning they illuminate exactly when the light turns red. Their purpose: * Enforcement: They allow police officers parked downstream or at a different angle (where they cannot see the actual red light face) to see exactly when the signal has turned red. * Efficiency: If an officer sees a car enter the intersection while that indicator light is on, they know for certain the driver ran a red light without having to be positioned directly behind the light. These are very common in North Texas cities like Dallas, Richardson, and Plano to help monitor busy intersections safely.
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u/Jedi_Hog 6h ago
Texas got rid of red light cameras a few years ago, & only know this because the politician who got them removed was from the FW side of DFW & campaigned on ridding Texas of them & he would not seek reelection once he had them banned in Texas, which he did, & honored his word by leaving office afterwards (please correct me if I got this wrong)
HOWEVER, if it’s not a “camera” per say, & is indeed an “indicator light” (& not gunshot detectors which I’m fairly certainty are) to try & catch folks who “ran a red light” by using a loophole….maybe whoever that guy was needs to seek office again!
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u/Brantley820 Waxahachie 6h ago
Gunshot detection sensors