There has been a considerable drop in auto thefts in Staten Island after the installation of license plate readers, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a press release issued this week. That’s after the borough saw a 110 percent increase in stolen vehicles reported in in 2022.

Because of their success, the agency announced a new $10 million program to install enhanced license plate readers at its three Staten Island crossings, where data from vehicular tracking technology associated with stolen vehicles or vehicles linked in other ways to criminal activity will be shared with regional law enforcement agencies for investigations and prosecutions.

So far, the data collected has already assisted with the agency’s enforcement of toll evasion.

Staten Island prosecutors report the data has helped lead to a decrease of nearly 30 percent in auto thefts so far this year in cases before the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office.

License plate readers incorporated into the region’s transportation infrastructure collect digitally readable images of vehicle license plates that are used to locate stolen vehicles or vehicles used in other criminal activity, or identify vehicles involved with missing persons such as children and the elderly.

The Port Authority’s $10 million investment for the technology will bring the total number of readers at the agency’s Staten Island crossings to 40, including 24 new readers at the Bayonne Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing.

The agency expects installation of the readers at the agency’s remaining two Staten Island crossings by the end of 2026.

“New York City has seen a surge in auto thefts and made our communities a target, particularly by transnational criminal organizations that steal vehicles, load them onto ships in our ports and send them overseas,” said U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York. “This $10 million investment by the Port Authority will be critical for the installation of the crime-fighting technology necessary to crack down on these thefts, along with rampant toll evasion that costs New York City taxpayers more than $100 million every year. I’m pleased to have helped secure federal funding for the NYPD to purchase plate readers for our police vehicles to support these efforts and enhance law enforcement’s ability to track and apprehend criminals.”