Suffolk County lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday to allow security cameras to be installed on public streets.

Legislator Jon Cooper (D-Huntington) sponsored the bill and wants to place at least 10 cameras in Huntington within the next year. Cooper says statistics show dramatic crime drops in cities that use the cameras, and he hopes the surveillance will help revive the troubled Huntington Station business district.

Many residents expressed reservations about the cameras, saying they constituted an invasion of privacy. Cooper says a committee will study all the issues before launching a pilot program within the next six months. The county executive must still sign the bill before it can become law.