New York

Despite concerns of some members, the Niagara Falls City Council voted unanimously to approve a request by police to purchase and install two dozen pole-mounted cameras capable of reading license plates.

New York’s CIO says the agreement will help boost security and data analytics while also encouraging more data sharing among agencies. Artificial intelligence also is part of this two-year effort.

A fledgling push to promote reforestation and climate mitigation relies on interactive maps and tracking tools. The state also hopes to plant more trees into "disadvantaged communities" by 2033.

New Yorkers may soon have a much better understanding of how the NYPD uses technology to conduct surveillance, track cellphones and maintain its facial recognition database.

Many body cameras have a feature that continuously records hours of video and, in some cases, audio, even if the officer hasn’t turned on the camera — a feature that serves as a fail-safe measure.

The Empire State’s fiscal year 2026 budget would, if approved by the state Legislature, add hundreds of employees to the IT workforce, to help the government be more efficient and use tech better in serving constituents.

The New York Daily News Editorial Board supports a proposed ban on smartphones in New York schools from bell to bell, given exemptions for special circumstances, because it will refocus students on what's important.

Proposed legislation would ban phones, tablets, smartwatches and any other Internet-connected devices from school grounds during the day, from bell to bell, including both instructional and non-instructional time.

Part of Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget proposal would cover tuition at any public community college in New York for adults studying fields such as advanced manufacturing, technology, engineering, AI or cybersecurity.

For its seventh round of technology questions, the New York City organization will focus on understanding and growing ridership, and on doing more with maintenance. To date, the program has yielded 37 scalable solutions.

Following the delayed rollout of an IT project that has ballooned to nearly $10 million, Syracuse plans to spend $88,000 for an outside assessment that will include a recommendation of how to fix it.

The state of New York’s inaugural Chief Customer Experience Officer Tonya Webster was appointed to shape the method, style and efficiency of government interactions. This week, the state is reporting on its progress.

As many as 350 electric vehicle charging stations could go in to State University of New York campuses as a result of $15 million in recently announced federal funding. The stations will be spread across its 64 campuses.

The federal funding will go to buy new devices, improve public library infrastructure and offer digital literacy training. The money, a grant, is estimated to reach more than 2,000 people over five years.

The New York State School Boards Association convention featured a keynote speech by an AI-driven robot and discussions about use cases such as creating IEPs and lesson plans.

GEICO and Travelers, the national insurance companies, will pay the penalties for poor data security. A 2020 cyber attack that leaked data from more than 120,000 New York customers enabled hackers to use that information to file fraudulent unemployment claims.

The site plan for the addition, a five-building facility, was approved by the town’s planning board, but the approval is pending upon the company’s compliance with sewer and noise issues.

A recent university research study on state government chatbots highlights their potential to optimize workloads, enhance communication and reduce waits. They're becoming essential, but challenges around feedback and privacy could impact that.