Large Brother is watching you … while you drive to Staten Island.
The Port Authority has put in everlasting license plate readers on the Goethals Bridge, which connects town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the Large Apple’s southernmost borough.
The company is placing two dozen extra plate readers on the Bayonne Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing, which officers say will assist battle crime, nail toll evaders and let cops in each states monitor vehicles and vehicles as they hoof it over the interstate bridges, in accordance with an company press launch.
Authorities say the readers — which is able to price the company about $10 million — may also assist discover stolen vehicles or monitor down autos that is likely to be carrying lacking individuals, equivalent to children or the aged.
“License plate readers are the DNA of the freeway,” mentioned Greg Ehrie, the Port Authority’s chief safety officer, in accordance with silive.com. “It permits us to know what’s occurring.”
And apparently, there’s loads occurring.
Staten Island District Legal professional Michael McMahon mentioned his workplace noticed a 110% enhance in stolen vehicles all through the borough in 2022 — and officers knew they needed to do one thing.
“Lengthy overdue and far wanted, this very important public security know-how and infrastructure permits for seamless data sharing with regulation enforcement, permitting for faster apprehensions of automobile thieves and extra profitable prosecutions within the courtroom,” he mentioned in an announcement.
“Whereas there are a large number of things for Staten Island being the one borough to see a lower in automobile thefts in 2023 and this yr’s close to 30 % lower in stolen autos thus far, there’s little question that the arrival of license plate readers on our New Jersey bridge crossings have helped play a serious position in deterring crime, holding each automobile thieves and toll violators accountable, and returning stolen autos again to their rightful homeowners.”
By the point the Port Authority is finished, there shall be a complete of 40 readers posted on the company’s Staten Island crossings — and that features 24 new cameras on the Bayonne Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing.
The job needs to be completed by the top of 2026, in accordance with the discharge.
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