The Ramapo Police Department will not move forward at this time with plans to test and evaluate a new generation of advanced automated license plate reader cameras, Police Chief Daniel Hyman announced, citing the need to balance new public-safety technology with privacy concerns and constitutional protections.

The full statement from the Chief of Police follows:

The Ramapo Police Department embraces technology when it can help us keep our community safe. Under my tenure, our approach to public safety has always rested on three things: good old-fashioned police work, modern technology, and strong partnerships with the community we serve.

Technology should never be adopted simply because it is available. It must serve a legitimate public-safety purpose, reflect the expectations of our community, and be balanced against the constitutional protections we are sworn to uphold.

Recently, the Ramapo Police Department was preparing to test and evaluate a new generation of automated license plate reader technology. These cameras are significantly different from the traditional fixed LPR cameras that we already have in place. Our existing fixed LPRs perform a relatively straightforward function: they capture license plates from vehicles passing specific locations and provide law enforcement with information that can assist in identifying wanted or stolen vehicles and investigating crimes.

The newer camera systems we were considering for evaluation go considerably further. In addition to reading license plates, they incorporate advanced investigative analytics and vehicle-identification capabilities. Those capabilities can provide tremendous value to law enforcement, but they also raise legitimate questions about privacy and the appropriate limits of government technology. Those questions deserve to be taken seriously.

I have often said that some people look at police technology and see “toys.” Forward-thinking communities recognize that appropriate technology is public safety infrastructure. But being forward-thinking also means knowing when to move ahead and when to exercise restraint.

For that reason, I have directed the Ramapo Police Department not to move forward at this time with the planned test and evaluation of these advanced ALPR cameras. This decision does not affect the traditional fixed LPR cameras currently used by the department, nor does it represent a rejection of license plate reader technology generally.

It is instead a recognition that not all LPR systems are the same, and that the capabilities of newer systems warrant a separate level of consideration.

One of the important lessons of New York State’s police reform process under Executive Order 203 was that policing should reflect the needs and expectations of the individual community. No two communities are exactly alike, and no two police departments need to be exactly alike. In Ramapo, our residents have consistently made clear that safety and security matter greatly to them. We have an obligation to provide that safety while remaining equally mindful of the constitutional rights of the people we protect and serve. That is the balance our community deserves.

Public safety and constitutional protections should not be viewed as competing principles. Our responsibility is to protect both.