Flock Cameras in Nevada Prompt 2027 Legislation

Flock cameras sit on poles along the road and read license plates. Each pass logs the plate, the type of car, and the time. Police use those records to look for stolen vehicles, suspects, and missing people. The company has more than 100,000 cameras in 49 states, so a search in one town can follow a car through many others. Critics say that means the system also logs where ordinary drivers have been, without a warrant.

When Flock launched, the technology was new and useful, and cities across the nation signed up fast, including in Nevada. Then the complaints started: stories of misuse, audits of the contracts, and questions about who else could search the data. In August, the Washington Post reported that officers were searching Flock to track spouses and exes. Other audits reported Flock being used for immigration enforcement in some cities. As the controversy built, more than 100 local governments canceled or turned the systems off. Flock contends that every search is logged, the cameras do not read faces, and the images disappear after a week.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says it runs about 200 Flock units on city or county poles in the Las Vegas Valley and shares the feed with hundreds of law enforcement agencies. The website haveibeenflocked.com, which posts public audit logs, counts more than 23,000 Metro vehicle searches since late 2023.

In November 2024, the Reno City Council voted 7-0 to spend $450,000 in leftover federal COVID money on Flock. Then-Chief Kathryn Nance said it would help officers get to scenes faster and work cases. Flock’s own portal has listed 76 cameras in Reno-Sparks.

Nevada has no law that regulates Flock camera use. Public defenders in Washoe and Clark counties asked the Legislature to write one. Last week the interim Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to draft a 2027 bill. The proposal would require agencies to adopt written policies and train their users. It would not ban the cameras.