At the direction of President Caroline Attardo Genco, the university has indefinitely paused plans for a pilot program to use license plate reader (LPR) technology as an investigative tool for University Police on its campuses. The pause will allow additional time to gather input from members of the UB community.

To help inform the university’s consideration of the technology, the University Police Advisory Committee, composed of faculty, staff and students, will be tasked with engaging in further conversations with members of the UB community.

“After careful deliberation over the past several weeks, I have decided that additional conversation and engagement with the university community is needed before determining whether to proceed with the pilot program,” said Genco. “As a result, I will be asking the University Police Advisory Committee to engage the university community as we thoughtfully consider this matter, with the best interests and safety of our entire university community in mind.”

After gathering feedback from across the university, the University Police Advisory Committee will develop a framework to advise senior leadership in evaluating the appropriate use of the technology, the security and handling of the data it collects, and factors to consider when deciding whether to move ahead with the pilot.

Throughout this process, the university's responsibility to provide a safe environment for its students, faculty, staff and visitors remains paramount. UB takes that responsibility very seriously and continually evaluates the tools and approaches available to University Police to help prevent crime and investigate incidents on its campuses.