Syracuse committee reviews proposed Axon license-plate reader contract amid privacy and data-sharing questions

Syracuse City officials on Monday reviewed proposed terms for a contract with Axon to expand the Syracuse Police Department’s license-plate reader (LPR) system and fielded questions about data ownership, sharing with other agencies and retention policies.

Chief Bridal, who spoke for SPD, described the technology the contract would supply: pole-mounted cameras that read multiple lanes at traffic and highway speeds, compiling plate reads into a searchable system intended to generate investigative leads. "It reads cars going at various speeds... and then compiles that data into a system that allows the police department to go back and based on criminal investigations, search that data to assist us in solving crime," Bridal said.

The issue drew privacy questions from committee members and the public. Sue Kasoff, who participated in the meeting, said the city’s proposal is for SPD to own and house the LPR data in a closed system under the contract, a point she flagged as important for both the committee and the public. "The data that is collected as a result of the installation of LPRs is data that is solely owned and accessed by SPD in the city," Kasoff said.

Bridal and others repeatedly said LPR data are not…