We, the undersigned residents and community members of the Town of Chester, strongly request that the Town Board immediately remove or disable all public surveillance cameras and stationary Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPs) installed throughout the town.
We are deeply concerned about the serious invasion of privacy caused by this widespread government surveillance. These systems collect vast amounts of personal data on law-abiding residents without clear public understanding, transparency, adequate policy or over site. The Town Board implemented this surveillance technology and data collection without a direct mandate from the people.
There has been insufficient public discussion and no clear answers regarding: • How long recordings and data are retained • Where data is stored and by whom • What cybersecurity protections exist • Who has access to the footage and data • How the system is audited • How individuals can access or request deletion of their data • Future expansion plans and approval processes Public safety can and should be achieved without turning our community into a permanent surveillance zone that erodes fundamental privacy rights.
We respectfully ask the town board to remove the surveillance cameras and suspend any further expansion of this camera system.