Syracuse lawmakers plan to ground Flock Safety readers about a year and a half after introducing them to city streets. Lawmakers voted to replace them with Axon readers.
Policing
Posted inPolicing
Syracuse police to pitch lawmakers on switching license plate reader provider
Police department officials plan to pitch Syracuse lawmakers on buying license plate readers from Axon, a longtime provider of police technology. Like Flock Safety, Axon has strong ties to the federal government.
Posted inOnondaga County
Onondaga County Legislature rejects $1M settlement to end decades-long legal saga
Lawyers for the estate of Hector Rivas, who was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in 1987, sued the county and alleged DA William Fitzpatrick used faulty evidence to convict Rivas.
Posted inOnondaga County
Onondaga County to pay $100K to woman who in 2022 gave birth at jail to baby who later died
Cheree Byrd gave birth to her daughter Ayanna at the Onondaga County jail after jail and healthcare employees ignored for days Cheree’s claims that she was in labor. Ayanna later died.
Posted inPolicing
Hochul proposes limited anti-ICE bill as Central New Yorkers rally for New York For All
Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” which would prohibit formal collaboration between local police officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Posted inCity of Syracuse
What could Mayor Sharon Owens’ 1st year in office have in store for Syracuse?
Housing, immigration, public safety and taxes are central for Mayor Sharon Owens, she said at her first State of the City speech.
Posted inPolicing
How Mayor Sharon Owens plans to wrangle oversight of the surveillance technology her administration inherited
Owens’ plans to check the city’s disparate surveillance technologies include new technology oversight position and greater legal analysis of contract terms.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Local advocates want to ‘melt’ Syracuse’s links to ICE. Will lawmakers listen?
A coalition of civil rights organizations is calling on common councilors to put companies facilitating deportations — like Flock Safety and Axon Enterprises — on the hot seat.
Posted inPolicing
Upstate county lawmakers are pushing legislation to enforce biometric surveillance disclosure. Will Onondaga County follow suit?
Recent downstate reporting revealed Wegmans is using biometric surveillance to scan customers’ faces. Some upstate legislators want to make businesses like Wegmans disclose surveillance tools to customers.
Posted inPolicing
A bill sponsored by a Central New York state senator could stop biometric surveillance at stores like Wegmans
State Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, in 2025 sponsored a bill that could stop biometric data collection in places like grocery stores. Wegmans has began biometric surveillance of customers in New York City.