LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Law enforcement says automated license plate reader technology helps solve crimes, but the ACLU of Nevada argues it invades privacy and should be banned.
WATCH | Nevada debate over license plate reader cameras heats up ahead of 2027 legislative session:
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department uses two automated license plate reader, or ALPR, vendors — Flock Safety and Motorola — to capture license plates, vehicle characteristics, and the time and location of vehicles.
Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said the department has policies and auditing in place and argues the technology saves lives.
"We've used this ALPR technology for a long time," Koren said. "It's truly saving lives. So if you can use it appropriately, you can truly combat crime."
The ACLU of Nevada disagrees. The organization said the issue is not how officers use the cameras, but the amount of information made available about people's movements.
"It's raised a lot of alarms for us surrounding civil liberties violations and invasions of privacy," Athar Haseebullah, the executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, said.
Haseebullah said state assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch plans to introduce legislation against the technology, arguing that current legislation being proposed does not go far enough.
That legislation, recommended by the Nevada Interim Judiciary Committee, would establish requirements for groups using Flock cameras, including adopting written policies, training users on data protection and mandating annual audits.
"We thought the best mechanism would be whether or not we thought guardrails surrounding this would be sufficient, and our answer was unequivocally no," Haseebullah said. "This technology needs to be banned."
Flock Safety responded to the debate in a statement:
"Flock strongly supports clear legislation establishing guardrails for license plate reader use…. And Public safety, privacy and Fourth Amendment rights can – and should – coexist, with each community helping determine the policies that reflect its laws and values."
The debate is expected to continue ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
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