By Sabrina Artusa
In 2024, The Setauket Neighborhood House board of directors installed security cameras in the interior and exterior of the building, incurring pushback from community members who rent rooms in the house.
The non-profit community center can be rented out for events, club meetings, art exhibitions and gatherings, given the person signs a contract agreeing to a series of stipulations, and is open to the public within operating hours. Mention of the security cameras, which have audio capabilities, is absent from the rental contract and there are no signs on the premises.
Although the cameras have been installed for months now, some residents, in the midst of a meeting they rented the room for, became aware of them after one of the cameras played audio stating that recording was in progress. Three Village Civic Association President Charlie Tramontana empathized with the need for security, but was uncomfortable with the audio recording. “A reasonable expectation is that you are not going to be audio recorded,” he said, adding he hoped to speak with a member of the board to help abate the growing community upset.
The board has not responded to inquiry at the time of writing, although Julie Parmegiani, a board member and Setauket resident who lives near the house, said that security has been an issue, especially since the house is open to the public. Speaking as a resident and not on behalf of the board, she said the house is not always respected and there was an instance where the police were called after a fight in the parking lot.
One active community member who prefers to remain unnamed said that the surveillance makes the house seem “unneighborly”.
“It is not so much that there is a problem in that there is a security system. I think people know there is a need, but it is secretive,” they said. “It would be a simple and easy fix if there was some type of signage.”
Associate Attorney at Lieb at Law Claudia Cannam said, “Audio recording without clear notice or consent can be problematic. It is bad practice to not have signs to inform visitors.”
Susan Blake, a board member from October 2022 to December 2024, said the surveillance is leading the house to stray from its purpose of being an inclusive sanctuary and resource for residents of Setauket. “It is not even close to what that house should be,” she said.
As a one-party consent state, New York only requires one person’s consent for a recording to be legal; however, that person must be a participant in the conversation being recorded. “Not giving them the option to opt in or out raises red flags to me,” Cannam said.
Like the Setauket Neighborhood House, libraries are open to the public and provide reservable rooms. Director of the Smithtown Library Rob Lusak said security cameras are installed throughout the library, including in these rooms; however there is no audio and there is a written policy specifying the purpose of the surveillance and who can have access to real time monitoring and archival tapes. “It’s there in the event that we need to view footage in the event of theft or inappropriate behavior in the library,” Lusak said.
According to New York State Penal Law Section 250.45 states, surveillance is unlawful in the second degree if, for entertainment, profit, sexual gratification or for the purpose of degrading the subject, someone is recorded “at a place and time when such a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without such person’s knowledge or consent.” An exemption to this is if a written notice is clearly posted that the system is for security purposes.
Attorney Tim Glynn of Glynn Mercep and Purcell LLP said “in public areas you have no real expectation of privacy,” but that there is likely an expectation in rented rooms.
Surveillance of the exterior of a property is now standard, with many homeowners installing Ring cameras and businesses installing cameras that cover the entirety of the property. Ring cameras also record audio. However, there may not be an expectation of privacy in the outdoors, and most people are familiar with Ring cameras and how they operate. The community member understood the need for the cameras, but is unhappy with the communication “barriers” and lack of signage, adding that the cameras feel like “more of a gotch-ya than a preventative” measure.
“You just scratch your head as a resident,” they said.
The board of directors are having a meeting on July 15 to discuss the issue.
“It’s important that we engage directly with our customers and the local business communities across Suffolk County,” said SCWA Chairman Charles Lefkowitz. “Partnering directly with the Three Village Civic Association gives us an opportunity to meet with customers who we may not be able to reach otherwise. We appreciate the civic and their leadership for their collaboration.”
