Village Of Hempstead To Install 12 License Plate Readers In Effort To Reduce Crime
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Village of Hempstead officials have voted to install license plate readers in an effort to reduce crime throughout the area.
The Village Board approved installing 12 license plate readers in high crime hot spots, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported. The readers cost $18,000 a piece.
Mayor Wayne Hall said he hopes to purchase 16 more readers in the future.
"You know in 2015 crime was down and then last year for some reason we had a spike in crime from July to about October," Hall said. "Things got a little bit out of hand."
The readers take photos of license plates as cars drive by. They can alert officers to stolen vehicles, expired registrations and may be useful in solving crimes by helping to identify individuals in the area.
"It's going to reduce the crime," Hall said. "It's also going to help us fight against people selling drugs."
Hall said they are keeping quiet on the locations of the readers because they do not want to give a heads up to criminals.
License plate readers have been credited for reducing crime in many areas. In October 2016, about $1 million in state funds were secured for the installation and maintenance of license plate cameras which will be placed throughout 20 locations in Brentwood, which has seen a wave of gang-related violence in the area.
Freeport has also unveiled 27 mounted license plate readers that encircle the perimeter of the 4.3-square-mile village at nearly every entrance. They automatically cross-reference with state, federal and Department of Motor Vehicles databases.