Scarsdale Police Issue General Orders for Use of Cameras, License Plate Readers and Drones

(Written by Joanne Wallenstein) If you drove to Manhattan, Long Island or New Jersey in the past few days, it may have taken far longer than you planned. Traffic was snarled for hours at the bridges not due to construction, an accident or the weather. Why? A multi-agency law enforcement operation set up roadblocks at the entrances to the bridges to raise funds for the departments. They stopped unregistered vehicles, people with suspended licenses, toll violators and drivers who use ghost plates to bypass the tolls.

This enforcement was done at the busiest time on the roadways – during rush hour on weekday evenings and at 5 pm on Sunday, when many were traversing the boroughs.

Reports say, “MTA Bridges and Tunnels officers, the NYPD and regional law enforcement partners made 21 arrests, seized 21 vehicles and issued 793 summonses in a joint two-day interagency operation focused on quelling ghost plates and persistent toll violators, transit officials announced on Sunday.

The crackdown took place at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge on Thursday and the Throgs Neck Bridge, George Washington Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel on Friday.

In this time, officers seized 21 vehicles for numerous violations including unpaid tolls, unregistered vehicles, suspended licenses and other traffic infractions, officials said.

Twenty-one people were arrested and 793 summonses were issued to remedy the $586,000 in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments and debts the scofflaws racked up.”

I was caught in two of these roadblocks which held up traffic for miles and I sat in the car for hours.

This happened at the same time that the Village of Scarsdale has announced plans to purchase $1.8mm in surveillance equipment from Flock Safety which will enhance their ability to conduct similar operations. On April 8 Village Trustees passed a resolution to purchase license plate readers, cameras and a drone, all to be used to increase surveillance in the Village. This was done without public notice or an opportunity for public comment.

Though the Mayor originally said that the equipment would only be purchased if the Village received a federal grant, in the 2025-26 Village budget $200,000 of Scarsdale taxpayer money was allocated for Police Technology. And now it appears that the Village may go ahead with this plan, with or without the federal grant. Last week the Mayor announced a work session about the purchase but the agenda is not about the merits of the plan, it is about the policy for its use.

The Village Manager’s office has drafted General Orders for the use of drones, license plate readers and cameras. It is not clear whether or not these General Orders are subject to the same review policies as Village Code. You can see the draft here.

The Scarsdale Village Board will hold a public meeting at Village Hall on Tuesday June 10 at 5:30 pm to discuss the surveillance technology. Public comment will be limited to 3 minutes. If you are not able to attend, you may participate remotely via Zoom. Here are instructions:

Here is the link to the new policies:

If you have concerns about living in a police state, attend the meeting or watch it online on Tuesday June 10 at 5:30 pm or email [email protected].