Suffolk County Police Department joins MTA 'ghost plate' task force
The MTA's task force is attempting to crack down on obstructed or obscured plates, like this one at an enforcement operation at the Henry Hudson Bridge in June 2024. Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Auth/Marc A. Hermann / MTA
Suffolk’s police force is the latest to join the fight against "ghost vehicles" attempting to hide from automated cameras, according to the MTA.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges & Tunnels President Cathy Sheridan, at a Manhattan MTA committee meeting Wednesday, announced that the Suffolk County Police Department has formally joined the state’s joint agency task force combating so-called ghost vehicles that use phony, hidden or obstructed license plates to evade automated camera enforcement, including at tolled crossings and red lights.
The task force was created in March 2024, with the NYPD, MTA Police and other law enforcement agencies routinely coordinating on sting operations in several locations, including New York City bridges and tunnels.
Earlier this year, Nassau County police joined the task force. The addition of the Suffolk Police Department, as well as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police, brings the number of agencies in the task force to 14, Sheridan said.
"It should be abundantly clear to anyone who has observed the uniformed presence at these frequent deployments, we remain committed to eradicating ghost plate practices," Sheridan said at the meeting. "Officers are out there looking to stop any vehicle with an intentionally obscured or counterfeit license plates ... Don’t let this be you, and pay your fair share."
Suffolk County officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In March, Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina told Newsday that he was "certainly open to" joining the task force, but noted that Suffolk had less financial incentive to crack down on ghost vehicles than other jurisdictions because it doesn’t have tolls or a red light camera program.
Since the task force was formed, Sheridan said it has been responsible for more than 47,000 summonses, 1,000 arrests and 4,500 towed vehicles.
Despite past crackdown efforts, the MTA averaged about 400,000 missed toll transactions a month through April last year — about 8% higher than the same period in 2023, according to agency statistics obtained by Newsday. The MTA has not provided updated figures on unpaid tolls, including for the congestion pricing program since it began in January, but Sheridan earlier this year said the agency collects 96% of all tolls.
Asked about the benefits of having Suffolk in the task force, Sheridan noted that cars crossing MTA bridges and tunnels come from all over. "This is a regional problem, not just a five boroughs problem," Sheridan said.
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
Food, fun and fireworks: NewsdayTV's Fourth of July special NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano has your guide to Fourth of July fun across Long Island.
Food, fun and fireworks: NewsdayTV's Fourth of July special NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano has your guide to Fourth of July fun across Long Island.
