Rensselaer County, New York

The Troy City Council in Rensselaer County passed Local Law 3 on October 1, the first measure of its kind in New York to restrict automated license plate reader (ALPR) use by police. The law, proposed by Councilmember Noreen McKee, cuts data retention from 30 days to 72 hours, requires judicial authorization for data sharing, and limits camera searches to felony-related investigations. McKee cited a 60-day review showing nearly all crimes solved using the cameras were resolved within 72 hours.

The New York Civil Liberties Union called it the strongest local ALPR law in the state, noting Troy's camera data had been searched more than 12 million times by outside agencies without legal safeguards. Troy's Republican mayor, Carmella Mantello, says city data isn't shared with federal immigration authorities and has vowed to veto the law, despite a Democratic council majority. The move comes as state lawmakers weigh several bills to impose statewide ALPR oversight, including retention limits, bans on data sales, and new reporting and training requirements, after years of failed attempts dating back to 2015.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Rensselaer County and Sheriff Kyle Bourgault after they became the sole holdouts defying the state's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which bans local law enforcement agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The suit, filed in state Supreme Court, seeks a court order voiding Rensselaer's 287(g) agreement. It came a day after Bourgault and 14 other New York sheriffs filed a federal lawsuit arguing the state law is an unconstitutional overreach; a federal judge has set a September 9 deadline for the state to respond to their request for a restraining order. Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin vowed to fight the suit in court.

Nassau County, along with Broome and Cattaraugus, previously terminated its ICE partnership after subpoenas from James's office, with Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman calling the law "bad and dangerous" but agreeing to comply. Governor Kathy Hochul has defended the law while saying the state still cooperates with ICE on deporting convicted criminals.