The Chief Talks Automatic Gate
Posted November 18, 2021
FROM THE DESK OF THE CHIEF
Dear Residents,
Our new Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system is fully approved and will be in place sometime in December / January.
Last month the board approved the vendor SafePassage and yesterday evening, they allocated the charges. I have jotted down some thoughts that touch on some of the questions I have received.
First, I would like to thank the board and community for their support. In return, you will be more secure and enjoy a smoother, more efficient entry into Tuxedo Park. The ALPR system will replace the car tags. The Mayor said yesterday that he suggested plans to offer a commemorative TP Tag for those who get nostalgic over the Tag.
To date, one thousand two hundred residents and two hundred forty-one Non-resident Tags have been issued. Yet many more vehicles than that drive through the gates daily. Only 41% of non-resident Tuxedo Club Members and 28% Tuxedo Park School employees and members have tags plus the daily contractors.
The new system will not add additional traffic; it will provide for more controlled access.
Some problems with the Tag system:
Stickers are switched to different vehicles. Some former residents who have moved from the village and former employees or members of the Tuxedo Club and parents of TPS Students have discontinued their memberships or employment but retained the stickers.
The new system will allow the Police Department to deactivate entry once someone's business in Tuxedo Park ends.
How does the new system work?
No more stickers or passes. The vehicle's license plate number will be entered into a Tuxedo Park computer database by the Tuxedo Park Police Department. This information is not shared with anyone, and no one else would have access to the database.
Residents will NOT be able to enter any license plates into the database; it must go through the police department.
When we enter the license plate into the database, we can set custom parameters: Main Gate or South Gate Access, time of day that access will be permitted, days of the week access is enabled, and a date range that entry will be allowed. Residents will have non-restricted access where for example, a TPS Parent would only have access Monday-Friday between 7:00 am - 4:00 pm from September to June.
When a vehicle approaches the gate, a camera will read the license plate. If there is a match of the license plate, day of the week, and times set up in the database, the gate will open, and a permanent record of the date and time of entry is recorded, which will provide valuable historical data.
Benefits of the new system:
- Security enhanced
- Non-residents and contractors will have to provide us with information to include their driver's license. We will know much more information about the person than we do now.
- We will be able to pre-vet all non-residents and know who they are.
- If the gate does not open, then our officers know that the person is not in the system, and they can spend more time with stricter vetting as to their reason for entering Tuxedo Park.
- Entry will be more efficient for those that are in the system.
- The new system will remove the human error that sometimes occurs at the booth.
- We can enter data such as the days of the week, dates, and times permitted access will enhance security.
Let me address some of your common questions:
Q. Who will be eligible to register for the ALPR?
A. Residents, non-resident property owners, renters, domestics (guests if the host chooses to sign them up ), TPS parents, teachers and employees, Tuxedo Club members and employees, St. Mary's church members and employees, landscapers, contractors, and seasonal guests including Hamlet members of the Wee Wah Fishing and Boating Club and Hamlet members of the Wee Wah Park and Swimming Club.
Q. Can I stop at the police booth and talk with the police officer on duty after the new system is operational?
A. Yes. There is no change in behavior required under the new system.
Q. What happens if a non-resident violates the law by speeding or another driving infraction? Will the pass be taken away?
A. No change to the way it is done now. If a non-resident violates any traffic laws observed by a police officer, they are stopped and issued a traffic ticket or warning (Officer's discretion). Their driving privileges in Tuxedo Park are not revoked and cannot by law be revoked as long as they have legitimate business within Tuxedo Park.
Q. What if a resident gives a worker a pass and then dismisses that worker? Will the pass be taken away?
A. Residents will not have access to give anyone a "pass," and all entries will go through the police department. One of the benefits of this system is that we can activate and deactivate as needed, something we cannot do now.
Q. Can these passes be moved from car to car? What if a worker takes the pass from their work vehicle and transfers it to their vehicle? How will we know?
A. There are no passes. It works by the license plate number. One of the past and current issues with Gate Security is that the TP Stickers have been switched from vehicle to vehicle, and we had no way of knowing. Also, most Tuxedo Club and Tuxedo School employees and members who have purchased Stickers do not return them when their business is done in the Park. Some people had given us a hard time when we attempted to get the stickers back because they said they had purchased the sticker and the metal plate, so it is theirs. This is a legal battle that has not been pursued. The new system will allow us to deactivate entry.
Q. There was great concern about too much traffic last year when Wee Wah was discussed. Is there no concern here?
A. Traffic safety is one of mine and the Mayor's top priorities. The Wee Wah Beach and Fishing Club members will be driving in Tuxedo Park no matter what system we have in place. The new system will allow us to set time and duration parameters on each license plate we enter. A Beach Club member will be permitted to use the main gate only and only during the days and times that the Beach Club is in operation.
Q. Can we be sure that opening this up to non-residents will legally not be held against the village? Can the gated community status be lost?
A. There will be nothing different than it is currently. Non-Residents drive in Tuxedo Park daily, and an individual's vehicle operation is their responsibility, not the Villages'. The village cannot be held responsible for the actions of a motorist, whether they are a resident or not. We will not lose the gated community status. It will just be more secure.
Q. If a non-resident becomes a club member and leaves membership, will the pass be taken away?
A. Currently, if a non-resident, non-tagged vehicle approaches the gate, the officer asks where the person is going. If they say they are going to the Tuxedo Club, they are let in. This new system will require all Tuxedo Club members to enroll annually, and their access will be controlled through the database. We will know who they are and that they are approved to enter. If their membership ends, we will deactivate them.
Q. Are residents able to give a pass to a worker who is only working for a short period, like one month? What happens to the pass after the month?
A. Residents will not be given any passes. In the case of a short-term worker, the police department will enter their license plate into the system, and after confirming with the resident on the length of time entry is approved, we will activate them and set parameters that they can only enter Monday-Friday between 8:00 am - 4:00 pm (Village Code on work in the Park). The range of dates will be entered. So, if you have a worker that will be there for three weeks starting tomorrow through December 10, we would enter those dates in the system, and from December 10 at 4:00 pm, the gate will no longer open for them, which would cause the need for vetting and verifying with you.
Q. When a school year ends, will the village collect the passes, or do those people get to continue to have pass entry?
A. There are no passes. TPS employees and parents will be entered into the system annually, with entry permitted Monday-Friday during school hours and the dates that school is in session. Once school is closed for the summer, access will not be allowed.
Q. Can a parent have a substitute pick up their child from school at a moment's notice?
A. Yes, if the School is notified and the parent asks the police to enter the person's license plate into the system. The system will be set for that pickup date only.
Q. Do you support this system?
A. Yes, Wholeheartedly. I have been on the team investigating these new systems from the beginning. I have been fully immersed in the purchasing decision, including talking to community managers who are current customers. This new system is robust and allows access for specific dates and times and entry through Main Gate, South Gate, or either gate. We will have much more control of entry and will know and pre-vet all non-residents. This will provide more robust security in the village. This system will not put any additional vehicles on the streets in Tuxedo Park. It will be the same amount, just more controlled.
Please get in touch with me directly if you still have questions or would like me to clarify anything on my memo.
To register your vehicles, contact Denise at 845-351-4741.