Secret surveillance vehicle takes to the streets of Staten Island

Peter N. Spencer
SILive
Oct. 03, 2009

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It could be a van with a plumber logo on it or a yellow livery cab. Or maybe it's a generic gray sedan, driven by a man who looks like an accountant.

The only way you will really know what the top-secret surveillance vehicle that recently hit the streets of the Mid-Island's 122nd Precinct looks like is if you get busted in some criminal act.

Similar to the one launched by the Island's MTA police two years ago, the $55,000 high-tech ride was funded by City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn) to help combat quality-of-life crimes. The "vehicle" has helped nab dozens of graffiti vandals on and around the Staten Island Railroad.

Oddo had a warning for others:

"People should think long and hard before they do anything wrong, because we are watching."

Advance sources are mum on the exact make and model of the vehicle, but did say it is equipped with a periscope, digital cameras, recorders and some "neat computer stuff."