End ALPR mass surveillance in New York

I'm one of your constituents in Syracuse, and I'm asking you to end automated license plate reader (ALPR) mass surveillance in New York, following the lead Texas and Florida have just set. On August 28, Governor Abbott barred Texas state agencies from spending public money on Flock cameras, right before the Texas Tribune reported that a state agency had quietly funneled at least $30 million into a sprawling surveillance network. Days later, Florida's Department of Transportation ordered every ALPR removed from state highway rights-of-way within 30 days, citing "concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes." Local governments across Florida are now canceling their vendor contracts too. Opposition to this technology isn't partisan — it spans both parties, from these governors to Republicans in Congress proposing federal restrictions on Flock funding. New York should be leading this coalition, not lagging behind it. These cameras don't just photograph a plate. They log where every one of us drives, every day, with no suspicion of wrongdoing. A lawsuit filed in June accuses Westchester County of amassing 1.6 billion plate scans without legislative authorization, then sharing the data with more than 50 outside agencies, including ICE. And the safeguards don't hold: the Institute for Justice documented at least 24 cases in two years of officers using these systems to stalk romantic partners. If even sworn officers can't resist abusing a database like this, none of us should have our whereabouts in it at all. I'm asking you to act in whatever ways are available to you. Legislators, please pass enforceable limits — restrict use to suspects in active investigations, bar data-sharing with out-of-state and federal agencies, and end vendor deals that bypass local oversight. Governor, exercise the same executive authority your counterparts in Texas and Florida just used, by revoking DOT permits and barring state agencies from funding these networks. Either path — ideally both — gets New York out of the dragnet. Thank you for your time and your service.