Your Data Stays Here, Under Local Control.
In response to growing national questions about license plate reader (LPR) technology, and in particular about the Flock Safety camera network in use in many communities across the country, the law enforcement agencies of Putnam County are speaking with one voice to explain how our county’s system works, how it is different, and what it has done to keep Putnam residents safe.
Recent national reporting has raised serious concerns about commercially operated camera networks: data stored on a private company’s cloud, footage searchable by thousands of agencies nationwide, and searches conducted for purposes residents never agreed to. Those concerns deserve straight answers. In Putnam County, the answer is simple: that is not our system.
“When residents read those stories, they deserve to know exactly how our program compares, and the answer is that it does not, ” said Sheriff Brian Hess. “Putnam County deliberately chose not to join any commercial camera network. Our data sits on a government server controlled by law enforcement, right here in the region. It is never sold, never shared with private companies, and never available to some nationwide search network. If someone wants to search historical data, they need an active criminal investigation. Period. ”
How Putnam County’s System Is Different
- Not part of any national network. Putnam County’s cameras are not Flock cameras and are not connected to any commercial, nationally searchable database.
- Government controlled. All data is stored on a government-owned server operated by law enforcement through the regional Real Time Crime Center partnership, not on a private company’s cloud.
- No third parties. There is no integration with any third-party company or data broker.
- Local access only. Only local law enforcement officers have access, and a search of historical data requires an active criminal investigation.
- Plates, not people. The cameras photograph license plates only. There is no facial recognition, no identification of drivers or passengers, and no monitoring of ordinary residents. These are not speed cameras and they do not issue tickets. A plate that matches no alert list simply passes through. • Nothing is kept forever. In accordance with New York State Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC) standards, records are retained for two years and then permanently deleted.
By the Numbers: This Year Alone
From January 1 through August 11, 2026, the county’s 21 active fixed LPR sites generated 808 investigative alerts on 250 distinct vehicles of interest, roughly 25 alerts per week:
- 184 stolen vehicles (546 alerts). Stolen cars are rarely joyrides. In our investigators’ experience, they are driven into Putnam by offenders intending to steal more vehicles and commit larcenies while hiding their identity. Real-time alerts let officers intercept them before the next crime happens.
- 27 known burglary crew vehicles (100 alerts), tied to residential burglaries across the region, many connected to New York City based crews. When one of these vehicles shows up here, it is a strong indicator that a crew is canvassing our neighborhoods for target homes. Nearly half of these alerts (46%) fired at cameras on the county line, catching them at the moment they entered Putnam.
- 22 vehicles linked to organized retail theft rings (141 alerts), typically out-of-state criminal organizations that travel here specifically to steal from our local stores.
- 17 vehicles flagged in special alerts (21 alerts) for violent wanted suspects, missing or suicidal persons, and domestic violence cases, situations where a single alert can save a life.
And that is just this year to date. This system has been protecting Putnam County for more than five years. Go back through those years and the successes compound: more stolen vehicles recovered, more burglary crews turned away, more cases solved, every single year. The 2026 numbers are simply the latest chapter in a long record of results.
Real Cases, Real Results
Over those five-plus years, the technology has helped identify a homicide suspect who confessed to murder, intercept a violent suspect entering the county to harm a family member, solve an armed robbery that had no witnesses and no video, corroborate evidence in child sex crime cases, catch the person who sabotaged the county’s 911 center, capture a suspect wanted in a New York City shooting, dismantle multi-state fraud rings now under federal investigation, and locate missing and suicidal people before it was too late.
“For us this is a daily policing tool, not an abstraction,” said Chief Anthony Hoffmann of the Carmel Police Department. “Our department alone has used LPR in 42 cases so far this year: hit-and-run crashes, stolen cars, larcenies, a missing person. It helps us solve crimes that used to go unsolved, and it does it without watching a single law-abiding resident.”
“Within three days of installing our first camera, we identified the vehicle and suspect in a daytime home burglary within hours,” said Chief Kevin Owens of the Kent Police Department. “Since then our readers have helped capture a suspect wanted in a New York City shooting and break open a burglary series spanning six counties. These cameras earn their keep, and the data stays in law enforcement hands.”
Our Commitment
Putnam County remains one of the safest counties in New York. That is not an accident. Offenders travel here from New York City, from neighboring counties, and from out of state. The LPR network is the county’s early-warning system, and it was built the right way: locally controlled, law enforcement governed, and respectful of the privacy of the people it protects. Residents with questions about the program are encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office or their local police department. We welcome the conversation.
This statement is issued jointly by Sheriff Brian Hess, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office; Chief Anthony Hoffmann, Carmel Police Department; and Chief Kevin Owens, Kent Police Department, with our partners in Brewster, Cold Spring, and the New York State Police.
