Episode Details

Send us Fan Mail

In May this show covered a Westchester County surveillance program nobody voted on. In June, four legal organizations sued to shut it down. Two months later, the county has said almost nothing, and that silence is the story.

Umemoto v. Westchester County Police Department was filed June 9 in State Supreme Court in Westchester County. The complaint describes 575 automated license plate reader cameras across 37 municipalities, roughly 1.6 billion plate scans, and data sharing with more than 50 outside agencies including ICE. The central claim is not privacy but authorization: the complaint alleges the county built the network without a Board of Legislators vote. The county says the complaint contains legal and factual errors, and has not said which ones.

In This Episode

(0:00) What we reported in May, and what changed in June

(0:35) The case, the plaintiffs' counsel, and what the complaint alleges

(2:10) The four municipalities named so far

(2:40) Why this is an authorization case, not a privacy case

(3:30) The county's June 25 response, and the silence since

(4:30) The vendor and the contract value nobody has published

(5:10) Senate Bill S963 and what it would require

(5:50) Quick hit: first West Nile-positive mosquitoes of the season, in Rye

Sources: Knight First Amendment Institute and the Policing Project at NYU School of Law case pages for Umemoto v. Westchester County Police Department, Index No. 65935/2026. The Examiner News, June 10 and June 25, 2026. Fortune, June 11, 2026. Insurance Journal via the Associated Press, June 12, 2026. New York State Senate bill tracker, S963. Westchester County Department of Health via Patch, Daily Voice and Mid Hudson News on West Nile surveillance.

Subscribe to the newsletter at www.iliveheremedia.com.

Support the show

I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media.
We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong.

Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us?
Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com
Website: www.iliveheremedia.com
Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia

Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.