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West Windsor to accept five HOA-donated license-plate readers; mayor says data stored by Mercer County prosecutor
Summary
Council approved a resolution to accept five license-plate reader (LPR) cameras donated by the Estates at Princeton Junction HOA; the mayor said the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office will store the collected data, addressing local privacy concerns voiced during public comment.
The West Windsor Township Council voted on May 26 to accept five license-plate reader cameras purchased by the Estates at Princeton Junction homeowners association and authorized an agreement to install and operationalize them under municipal control.
Resident Sanjay Mandlloy, representing the HOA, told council the association bought five LPR cameras and intends to gift them to the township so maintenance and monitoring can be handled by law enforcement. "Five cameras are being bought and I think they're going to be gifted to the township so that the maintenance can be picked up by the township," Mandlloy said during public comment.
Mayor Haymon Marate detailed how the camera program works and addressed privacy questions. He said the township already operates nine LPRs and four traffic cameras purchased previously and that the donated units would be integrated into the statewide law-enforcement network. "The data that's gathered by this is stored by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. It's not stored by West police," Marate said, adding that the prosecutor's office is responsible for software licenses and storage costs.
Marate said the donated cameras and county-managed software will allow police to search plates flagged for concerns such as stolen vehicles and to monitor traffic incidents with the full traffic cameras. He also described the cameras as public-safety tools best suited to areas with limited entrances and exits.
The donation was listed on the consent agenda as Resolution 2026-R115, "authorizing the mayor and clerk to execute a letter of agreement with the Estates of Princeton Junction Homeowners Association Inc. for license plate reader camera systems and equipment." The council approved the package of resolutions by roll-call vote.
Council members expressed appreciation for the HOA purchase and sought clarity about access to footage and data custody; the mayor reiterated that access requires following prosecutor-office procedures. The council did not change policy on public release of footage at the meeting.
The mayor encouraged other HOAs and neighborhoods concerned about safety to consider the same approach, while several council members reiterated the need to be clear about privacy protections and formal access requests moving forward.
The resolution authorizing the agreement was approved as part of the consent package; implementation details and installation scheduling were not specified at the May 26 meeting.
