The Monroe County Sheriff's Office will move ahead with its plans to install automated license plate readers at dozens of locations after county legislators passed a measure that was necessary for the project to proceed.
Legislators voted 25-4 on Tuesday, with those against it citing concerns about privacy and the political climate.
"My biggest concern is we don't know where we're going to be in six months or a year or two years, and it's just not a good time to be increasing surveillance," said Legislator Carolyn Delvecchio Hoffman, one of the four Democrats who voted against the measure. "I do believe in the intentions of the folks who advocated for this and what you're trying to do, but we just don't know where we're going to be."
Sheriff's Office officials have said that the license plate readers would not be used for routine traffic enforcement. Instead, they would be used for operations around things like retail theft, stolen vehicles, Amber and Silver Alerts, missing persons, and other police matters where a vehicle is used on public roadways.
During a committee meeting last month, Chief Deputy Michael Fowler said the cameras would not be used to help federal immigration enforcement officers track people they are pursuing for potential deportation or other immigration matters.
But those assertions weren't enough to allay privacy concerns from some members of the public and the legislators representing them. Before she cast her "no" vote, Legislator Rose Bonnick said she recognizes the importance of public safety but that people in her district she'd talked to voiced concerns around privacy.
"I want to agree that the purpose of the technology is in the deterrence of crime, but that comes with mass surveillance, which people are not comfortable with the efficiency of this," Bonnick said.
Several other legislators on both sides of the aisle spoke in favor of the project.
"I know some are concerned about privacy," said Legislator Sean McCabe, a Republican legislator from Greece. "As a constitutional conservative, I take that very seriously, but this technology is targeted and limited. It tracks down documented threats, not law-abiding citizens."
McCabe added that the Sheriff's Office is placing strict guardrails around the readers, is limiting data retention, will not use the system for random monitoring, and there is full logging of how it is used and serious consequences for misuse.
Legislator Kirk Morris, also a Republican from Greece, said readers installed in his town have helped its police department track criminal activity and recover stolen vehicles.
Democratic Legislator John Baynes said that when you drive an automobile in public you are agreeing you're subject to certain laws and to be observed by law enforcement.
"I feel that there is an overriding public interest in supporting this law," Baynes said. "It's a bit of a close call because of the surveillance concerns."
The Sheriff's Office will install the readers in phases using existing poles and other infrastructure, a process that will likely continue through at least the end of the year, Fowler said during a recent interview. The office expects to spend $3 million for the cameras and a five-year license.
