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One of those residents, Jerry Green, posted several photos on his Facebook page. According to the post, Green asked the installer, who told him that "they were being installed for the county."

有料盒子 asked county officials and, on Wednesday, got an answer.

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck told 有料盒子 that a camera was installed at the intersection of routes 34 and 370 in the village of Cato to "monitor traffic and to aid in criminal investigations when vehicles involved pass through the area."

"This will be a tool that will significantly aid us in our ability to make our community safer," he said.

Funds that the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office received through the Federal Emergency Management Agency were used to purchase the cameras, according to Schenck. He declined to answer further questions about the cameras, citing the need to "protect the integrity of the tool."

There is another camera at that intersection. The state Department of Transportation confirmed Wednesday that it installed a "non-intrusive camera detection system" at routes 34 and 370 in December 2022. A DOT spokesperson said the camera detects vehicles at the intersection and relays that information to the signal.

But the installation of the new cameras at that intersection received attention on social media, where some users questioned whether it's an invasion of privacy. Others mentioned the recent federal immigration raid at Nutrition Bar Confectioners, where 57 workers were detained for being in the U.S. illegally. Five are facing federal charges for illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior deportation.

The placement is along two major thoroughfares in Cayuga County. Route 34 runs through the entire length of the county and connects motorists to the New York State Thruway.聽Route 370 extends west and connects with Route 104. To the east, it runs through the northern Syracuse suburbs to the city.

The stretch of Route 34 that runs through the village of Cato averages 3,331 vehicles a day, according to state DOT data. On Route 370 near the intersection with Route 34, there is an average of 4,808 vehicles a day.