Motorists sue Westchester County over 1.6 billion license plate scans
The suit says the county’s camera network collected 1.6 billion plate scans and shared them with more than 50 outside agencies.
- On Tuesday, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Policing Project sued Westchester County, asking a state judge to halt deployment of nearly 600 license plate readers, calling the network an "indiscriminate surveillance system" that violates the state constitution.
- The lawsuit alleges the county never obtained proper authorization for the program, which amassed a database of 1.6 billion plate scans shared with more than 50 external law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Plaintiffs claim their travel patterns were recorded extensively; one vehicle belonging to Lora Nelson was captured more than 2,400 times, while another motorist's vehicle was captured 1,134 times between 2023 and 2026.
- Westchester County has not yet received or reviewed the lawsuit, a spokesperson said, while Barry Friedman, founder of the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, stated police cannot "unilaterally decide" to surveil citizens without legislative authorization.
- Litigation is part of a broader effort to have courts reconsider legal doctrines regarding surveillance technologies, as other municipalities are now restricting data sharing with federal agencies, shortening retention periods, or canceling contracts in response to public outcry.
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Associated Press News
Motorists sue Westchester County over 1.6 billion license plate scans
Civil rights groups have sued on behalf of New York residents to stop Westchester County, New York, from using nearly the nearly 600 license plate readers they have installed around the county.
Westchester County drivers sue to stop deployment of nearly 600 license plate readers
The class action lawsuit also alleged that Westchester County never got proper authorization to launch the program, which has amassed a database of 1.6 billion plate scans that has been shared with more than 50 outside law enforcement agencies, including ICE.
Umemoto v. Westchester County Police Department
On June 9, 2026, the Knight Institute, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, and Freshfields LLP filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the legality of a mass vehicle surveillance system operated by the Westchester County Police Department (WCPD). Brought on behalf of New Yorkers whose driver and vehicle data have been captured by the system, the suit alleges that WCPD engages in sweeping, warrantless surveillance that violates the New York State Constitution’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures and exceeds WCPD’s authority under New York law. WCPD operates one of the largest and most technologically advanced vehicle surveillance systems in the country. The system deploys at least 575 cameras that indiscriminately record vehicles on Westchester County roads and analyzes those recordings using sophisticated AI tools. WCPD collects and retains hundreds of millions of vehicle records in a searchable database for at least two years, allowing police to compile detailed records of drivers’ movements, routines, and associations over time. WCPD also provides more than 50 outside agencies with access to the data, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The lawsuit alleges that WCPD operates the system without authorization from any elected body and without meaningful safeguards governing the collection, retention, use, or sharing of sensitive vehicle surveillance data. The plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief barring WCPD from operating the system. Status: Complaint filed in New York Supreme Court on June 9, 2026. Case Information: Umemoto v. Westchester County Police Department (New York Supreme Court, Westchester County).
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