SECAUCUS, N.J. – Car thieves have been a nightmare to New Jersey’s cities and towns.
Now, those towns are hoping to flip the script.
“We’re on a rampage with people stealing cars, people breaking into cars,” said Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli. “It’s just not a good thing happening in town.”
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That’s one reason why Secaucus is making a bold move spending half a million dollars for more than 40 license plate-reading cameras, all of which will be positioned near the borders of town.
“If you got a stolen car coming into town, it’s going to give an alert to the police,” said Gonnelli.
“It’s not only an investigative tool, it’s a proactive tool,” said Police Chief Dennis Miller, who says the town saw almost 40 car thefts last year, up from around 23 the year before. His traffic bureau and planning and intelligence unit went to work.
“They came up with the idea of this initiative to encircle the entire town with the license plate reader cameras,” said Miller.