Civil Rights Groups Sue Westchester County Over License Plate Readers
The class action alleges the county built a 1.6 billion-scan database and shared data 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.
33 Articles
33 Articles
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.
New York's Westchester County Sued by Motorists Over 1.6 Billion License Plate Scans
A coalition of civil rights groups on Tuesday asked a state judge to order one of New York’s largest suburban counties to stop its deployment of nearly 600 license plate readers, calling it a warrantless and “indiscriminate surveillance system” that violates the state constitution. 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 …
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