Legislators to Look Into Cameras to Catch Litterers

Litterbugs in Putnam County could find themselves on candid camera in the future.

During a health committee meeting last week, Legislator Bill Gouldman said he would like to explore the feasibility of placing mobile video cameras within the county in hopes of catching people that litter along roads or public properties. He said he’s received a few calls from Putnam Valley residents concerned with the amount of litter in town and one resident mentioned the idea of putting cameras up to catch law breakers. While some of the littering can be as simple as a soda can, some people even dump couches and mattresses illegally, Gouldman said.

Gouldman said the Town of Yorktown rolled out a camera program last year to combat litterers and the town has been able to catch people that have committed violations.

He said the mobile cameras could be put up along different county roads in places where littering is a major problem.

Gouldman asked legislative counsel Robert Firriolo if the camera catches a person in a car throwing garbage out the window, can they bring someone to justice even if the camera doesn’t identify who exactly littered. Firriolo responded that Yorktown’s law is written in a way where the owner of vehicle could be fined.

Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra said the county has littering laws in place, but Legislator Toni Addonizio noted it’s difficult to catch people.

“Littering is a problem all throughout the county,” Scuccimarra said. “We all have spots in our town that are really deplorable.”

Legislator Ginny Nacerino mentioned the county would need to look into home rule to see if each town would allow the county to put cameras up in their municipality.

“I think we need to find out what we can and cannot do,” Nacerino said.