Nassau lawmakers green-light license plate readers in Jericho

Nassau County legislators on Monday voted to install 20 new license plate reader cameras in Jericho, surveillance technology that police say will put eyes on stolen vehicles driving through the hamlet.

The cameras, expected to be installed on street poles about 10 to 15 feet high, will capture license plates and allow police to search for car registration and related criminal records.

The bill, which passed 17-0, green-lit the installation of license plate readers at the following 10 intersections:

Robbins Lane at Ellen Place, Robbins Lane at Lydia Place, Robbins Lane at Freedom Drive, Robbins Lane at Birchwood Park Drive, North Service Road at Open Street, North Service Road at Placid Street, Birchwood Park Drive at Village Drive, Hazelwood Drive at Market Street, Jericho Turnpike at Merry Lane, Jericho Turnpike at Marian Lane.

The readers are being funded through a $250,000 state grant secured by Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove), who said the move was spurred by a group of East Birchwood residents who contacted his office last year.

"These are useful law enforcement tools," Lavine told Newsday earlier this month. They help police collect intelligence, give residents a sense of confidence that police are "watching out for them" and "deter criminals," he said.

But cameras alone don’t replace the need for traditional police work, Lavine added.

"They are not panaceas. … We have to be realistic," he said.

During a public comment period in the legislature meeting on Monday, resident Angelo Veltri announced a petition to stop installing license plate readers in Nassau County — calling the cameras a violation of First Amendment rights.

Veltri recalled a 2021 case in Colorado, where police held a woman and her four children at gunpoint after mistakenly alleging she was driving a stolen vehicle based on unvetted information from a license plate reader.