Suffolk aims to expand license plate reader network in East End, raising privacy concerns

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office plans to more than double the number of license plate reader cameras it deploys across the East End, pending legislative approval, to aid in solving crimes from hit-and-runs to stolen vehicles, according to the department.

The new equipment boosts a program the sheriff’s office started in 2022 and will be funded through a $542,500 Law Enforcement Technology Grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Suffolk Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. said in a statement to Newsday that the department "has seen real success" using the technology to solve crimes.

"With this grant-funded expansion, we’ll further enhance public safety in the East End and across Suffolk County," he said.

The Suffolk County Legislature will vote Tuesday on whether to approve a resolution that would allow the sheriff’s department to install 16 plate readers on roads within a New York State right-of-way. The county approval is a precursor to state Department of Transportation approval.

Additional plate readers will be installed on roads that do not require legislative approval, bringing the total from 25 to about 60, said Victoria DiStefano, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

The plate readers requiring legislative approval would be installed on Sunrise Highway in Southampton, Route 25 in Riverhead, Main Road in Southold and the Long Island Expressway near Exit 71. Other locations include Route 114 in Sag Harbor and East Hampton Village.

The Suffolk Legislature’s Public Safety Committee on Thursday unanimously approved the resolution, which now can be formally adopted at Tuesday's general meeting in Riverhead.

While law enforcement has praised the technology for assisting in crime solving, civil rights advocates and criminal justice experts have raised concerns related to privacy, potential abuse and risk of foreign nations hacking data.

Adam Wandt, associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, said the use of plate readers has expanded largely through one company to create a nationwide surveillance state. He said most law enforcement departments use plate readers from a company called Flock.

He said the company has brought plate readers to “an entire new level with an automated system that networks and meshes together all of their cameras around the country."

Departments that subscribe to Flock "get access to the national Flock network," he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union in 2023 described Flock as "building a giant camera network that records people’s comings and goings across the nation."

A Flock spokesperson in a statement to Newsday said that Flock's customers own and control all the data it collects and has discretion on whether to share it. Any sharing is controlled by the customer and the technology can be tailored to comply with the laws of a municipality, the statement said. The readers cannot continuously track an individual but rather take "point-in-time photos of cars in public." 

The sheriff’s office currently uses Flock for most of its plate readers, DiStefano said. It is unclear yet if the department will also use Flock devices for its newest batch because the procurement process begins after legislative approval, she said.

She added the plate readers do not record "sensitive data" but rather license plates that are in public view.

The plate readers, which do not automatically issue violations like speed cameras, have been particularly helpful with stolen vehicle investigations, missing persons and cases involving illegal dumping in the pine barrens, DiStefano said.

Departments across Long Island use plate readers, including Suffolk County police, Nassau County police and New York State Police, as well as several smaller departments in villages, Newsday previously reported. 

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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