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Public Safety Committee accepts $500,000 JAG grant to expand county license-plate readers
Summary
Orange County Public Safety Committee voted to accept a $500,000 Edward Byrne Memorial JAG award to install and share license-plate reader cameras countywide; officials said policy, auditing and interstate siting remain to be decided.
The Orange County Public Safety Committee voted to accept and appropriate a $500,000 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to install and integrate license-plate reader (LPR) cameras across the county.
Committee members approved the award during the meeting after the county’s Department of Emergency Services described how the funding will be used to add LPR cameras and connect them with Orange County E-911, local police departments, the New York State Intelligence Center and the Hudson Valley Scribe Analysis Center.
The award “will be applied towards the real time intelligence center project,” said Peter Sigliorano, Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services. He said LPRs are valuable both for criminal investigations and for noncriminal public-safety responses — for example, locating an elderly person with dementia who is reported missing.
Deputy Commissioner Robert Doss said the county submitted the application close to the deadline and was awarded the grant. A staff member added the county intends to use the funds to “fill the gaps” in coverage where municipalities lack LPR technology and to monitor interstate approaches.
Officials said the county will adopt a formal policy governing access and use of the LPR system and will audit the data. “We will have a solid policy in place that will be following the best practices of New York State Criminal Justice Services,” the staff member said, adding the county plans to model and exceed those guidelines. The staff member also clarified that the cameras “take images of license plates”; the system does not automatically query DMV records unless an officer or dispatcher takes that additional step.
Committee members asked about siting and mounting (pole, overpass, solar versus electric) and about coordination with the State Department of Transportation when locating cameras along interstates. Officials said they will map gaps, consult partner agencies and study safe siting off the roadway before installation.
The motion to accept and appropriate the grant was moved and seconded, and the committee approved the request by voice vote.
Officials said the county will now proceed with planning and policy development for procurement and deployment of the cameras.
