Ramapo Police Chief Daniel Hyman announced that the department will not move forward with a planned test of a new generation of automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, citing privacy concerns and the need to balance law enforcement technology with constitutional protections.
Hyman said the technology being considered goes beyond the department’s existing fixed license plate readers. While current cameras primarily capture license plates to help identify wanted or stolen vehicles and assist with criminal investigations, the newer systems include advanced investigative analytics and vehicle-identification capabilities.
“Those capabilities can provide tremendous value to law enforcement, but they also raise legitimate questions about privacy and the appropriate limits of government technology,” Hyman said.
Hyman emphasized that the decision does not affect the traditional fixed LPR cameras currently used by the Ramapo Police Department and does not represent a rejection of license plate reader technology overall.
Instead, he said the department is exercising caution because of the expanded capabilities of the newer systems.
“Our responsibility is to protect both” public safety and constitutional protections, Hyman said.