Central Current previously reported that three transparency experts believe Syracuse’s Surveillance Technology Working Group appeared to have violated the New York State Open Meetings Law.
Patrick McCarthy
Patrick McCarthy is a staff reporter at Central Current covering government and politics. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Maxwell and Newhouse Schools, McCarthy was born and raised in Syracuse and attended Nottingham High School.
Before joining the Central Current team, he worked as a writer at Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo and wrote concert reviews for syracuse.com | The Post Standard. McCarthy also served as a contributing writer for TriplePundit, a publication focused on sustainability and corporate responsibility. In his role with Central Current, he provides access and transparency to elected officials – helping raise accountability and connecting readers to the decisions that shape Central New York.
Patrick McCarthy can be reached at pmccarthy@centralcurrent.org
Posted inPolicing
Does Syracuse’s surveillance tech evaluation group have a right to privacy? Experts say no
The city’s Surveillance Technology Working Group has been violating New York’s Open Meetings Law, three experts say. The city contends that’s not true.
Posted inPolicing
Syracuse lawmakers ice out Flock Safety in favor of company contracting with ICE
Lawmakers finalized a plan to pivot its provider for license plate readers from Flock Safety to Axon Enterprise, citing immigration concerns. Flock officials called out their reasoning.
Posted inImmigration
‘Hedging her bets’: Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens won’t codify anti-ICE stance
Advocates want to see Owens do as other Democratic mayors have recently done and turn her anti-ICE pledge into policy.
Posted inNews
City considering ‘weapons detection’ tech from company connected to Utica stabbing, FTC lawsuit
Public records show the Syracuse Police Department “has done their own research” and found “no red flags” on Evolv. The FTC in 2024 hammered the company for “misleading marketing claims.”
Posted inNews
What Haudenosaunee resistance to reindustrialization means for ancestral lands in the AI age
Haudenosaunee see harbingers of harm in Upstate New York’s reindustrialization akin to the disastrous environmental impact of past industrial development.
Posted inCity of Syracuse
Syracuse city clerk helped create ‘unprofessional work environment,’ according to previously unreported documents
The head of the city’s human resources office chastised Syracuse City Clerk Patricia McBride for her conduct. An independent investigation in 2025 found some substance to complaints against McBride.
Posted inImmigration
Central New York folk artists hope to fuel resistance through benefit concert for immigration resource network
The May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society on Wednesday will host the “Songs of Hope and Resistance Benefit Concert” from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Posted inHousing
In a city of renters, landlords win
Syracuse lawmakers capped a nearly two year back and forth by voting down ‘good cause eviction’ legislation.
Posted inOnondaga County
Central New York lawmakers, sparked by Wegmans, begin efforts to rein in biometric technology
Onondaga County legislators have drafted a proposed biometric disclosure law after Wegmans was revealed to be using biometric technology in New York City.