Latest news with #Previte
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lewiston to get county license plate readers
Lewiston will receive at least eight license plate readers to install around town, something Police Chief Frank Previte said would be used to help solve crimes. 'It gives us the ability to put in a license plate to see if it hits on a certain location,' Previte said, adding it would help in cases involving missing persons and determining if a vehicle was stolen or has suspended registration. He assured the town board they would not be used for the likes of speeding tickets. The board unanimously approved a resolution Monday allowing the technology to be installed in its boundaries, one of nine Niagara County municipalities to do so. These readers are funded by a New York State Law Enforcement Tech Grant program the Niagara County Sheriff's Office received, which the governor's office announced $127 million worth of funding last May. The sheriff's office received $950,000 with the Lewiston Police Department getting $495,000. In 2023, the sheriff's office entered into a five-year contract with Flock Safety, a manufacturer of license plate readers and other security technology, to install 67 pole-mounted readers throughout the county. It will be worth $172,000 per year when all of those cameras are operational. As such, the county sheriff will have the responsibility for maintaining the equipment. 'Every police department in the county will have access to the data,' Sheriff Michael Filicetti said, noting it would give the department instant alerts if a car related to any investigations passes by a camera. He also said the cameras only scan a portion of a vehicle and its license plate. They do not use facial recognition or trace the movements of anyone. The department said then that the data the system collects is 'deleted every 30 days on a rolling basis and not sold or shared with third parties.' The only such reader in Lewiston already is on North 2nd Street, with the Lewiston Police Department having the technology in their patrol cars already. Previte said they would be installed along the state routes going through the town like Routes 18, 31 and 104. The sheriff is still working on determining the exact locations with the state Department of Transportation and when they will be installed. This past February, the Niagara Falls City Council agreed to spend $300,100 for 24 Flock Safety solar-powered plate readers for installation, along with its software, storage, and support. Also funded by a New York State Law Enforcement Tech Grant, the city police department received $1.085 million. Their locations are based on crime reporting data. This technology has been criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union, having called it 'dangerously powerful and unregulated.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lewiston police chief says tariff threats had ‘positive result' on border
LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Local authorities said on Wednesday that the responsibility of patrolling the border will be shared more evenly between them and Canadian authorities. For Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte, the recent tariff threat by President Donald Trump wouldn't have had an effect on his department, but the border support that has resulted from them, according to him, most certainly will. 'I guess it was a good bargaining chip because it worked and there is no tariffs and we're still getting a result, a positive result, at least for us,' Previte said. This week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada would spend over $1 billion to reinforce the border with new helicopters, technology and personnel — a plan that was first released last fall. 'I think the northern border has been kind of forgotten in some respects,' Previte said. 'I know that in the past, it does seem that the resources on our side have been a little bit more plentiful and focused, so it is good to see that at least on the other side as well.' The Canadian government said that nearly 10,000 frontline personnel will be monitoring the border 24/7. Previte said this is a great step, after a record number of illegal crossings took place over the last year. 'I think it was like a month and a half where it was upwards of 10 that we were up to already,' Previte said. 'A lot of the residents were alarmed about some of the things that were going on here, so I think that kind of influx will help. People don't forget that it wasn't too long ago that we were having an issue with people crossing.' Canada also now joins the U.S. in categorizing cartels as a terrorist organization and is also working to appoint a fentanyl czar. Previte said this makes sharing information about possible threats between the two countries faster. 'Anything that affects the border patrol affects us. It's absolutely going to help intelligence and joint operations,' Previte said. 'We do joint operations with them, we have regular meetings and intel briefings that we're involved with them, so that's going to open another door for us.' Previte said the next steps for the Lewiston Police Department is to meet with border patrol and other local law enforcement in the next few weeks to talk about how local operations may change with the added resources. Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
