Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman said he would consider using police surveillance technology more widely across New York if it proves effective, expanding a debate over the camera network in the Nassau County government he leads.
In an Oct. 17 New York Post interview, Blakeman was asked whether he had interest in using Nassau's approach statewide. He answered, “Well, obviously, if the technology works, yes.”
The question followed the Post's reporting on Nassau's network of Flock Safety license-plate readers. The cameras record passing vehicles and can capture license plates and other identifying features for police searches.
Blakeman told the newspaper that the county uses technology to prevent and solve crimes, and said its rules bar personal or political use of the information. He said data may be shared to stop a potential crime or investigate one that has occurred.
Blakeman described a broader approach to public safety that also includes adequate personnel, stronger physical security and intelligence shared among law enforcement agencies. He named cameras and facial recognition among the technologies he would consider.
In September, the Post reported more than 330 publicly mapped Flock cameras on Nassau roads, or roughly one camera for every 9.5 miles of the county's more than 3,200 miles of roadway. That measure came from a volunteer mapping project, not a complete official inventory. The newspaper also reported that Nassau agreed to a $1 million deal with Flock last year.
The New York State Democratic Party said Saturday that his answer showed he wanted to extend surveillance statewide. Party spokesperson Addison Dick argued that the cameras were part of a poor public-safety record.
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