Nearly 300 automated license plate readers are operating throughout Erie County, quietly recording the movements of motorists every day as law enforcement agencies continue expanding a regional surveillance network capable of tracking vehicles across Western New York and beyond.
From college campuses and shopping centers to residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors, the cameras have become an increasingly common part of the landscape. Their reach extends from Buffalo State University and major retail destinations to apartment complexes and other high-traffic locations, creating a vast network that continuously captures information about passing vehicles.
Police agencies across Erie and Niagara counties have embraced the technology with dozens of departments now either operating their own license plate reader systems or accessing a nationwide database through the Flock Safety network…