Las Vegas Metro Police and the Rise of License Plate Reader Surveillance

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has significantly expanded its use of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, raising concerns about privacy and transparency. Unlike many other police departments, LVMPD funds this surveillance network through donations, largely avoiding public scrutiny.

Funding and Implementation

In 2023, LVMPD entered into an agreement with Flock Security, a leading provider of ALPR systems. These cameras scan license plates and vehicle details – make, model, and color – cross-referencing the information with police databases.

A key difference in Las Vegas is the funding source. While many departments use taxpayer money for ALPRs, LVMPD relies on donations funneled through a private foundation, specifically the Horowitz Family Foundation. This arrangement circumvents the typical public comment process associated with implementing surveillance technology.

Privacy Concerns and Civil Liberties

Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argue that this lack of public input is a “short circuit of the democratic process.” Concerns center around the potential for the technology to be misused to track individuals, including undocumented immigrants, political dissidents, and those seeking reproductive healthcare.

The cameras contribute data to a national database, allowing police to track vehicles beyond their jurisdiction. Flock operates over 80,000 cameras nationwide, and its popularity is growing as law enforcement touts its crime-solving capabilities.

The ACLU of Nevada has also voiced concerns about the potential for abuse, citing examples from other jurisdictions where ALPR data was used to track individuals for personal reasons, such as monitoring ex-partners.

Data Usage and Transparency

As of late 2023, Las Vegas police had conducted over 23,000 searches of vehicles using Flock data. LVMPD operates approximately 200 Flock cameras on city and county infrastructure and shares this data with hundreds of other law enforcement agencies.

Transparency varies across Clark County. The City of Las Vegas has a public policy regarding license plate readers, including a dashboard displaying usage statistics. However, Metro’s policy is not readily available online, requiring a public records request to obtain.

Flock’s contract with Metro stipulates that the company retains all rights to recordings and data and can use it for any purpose. Recordings are reportedly stored for no longer than 30 days. Metro policy states that data will not be used based solely on protected characteristics like citizenship or race, and misuse can result in disciplinary action.

Expanding Capabilities and Donations

Recent donations from the Horowitz Family Foundation, totaling almost $4.37 million in October 2023, included funding for Flock’s Nova feature. This software provides access to private license plate information alongside personal data like Social Security numbers, credit scores, and social media handles, raising further privacy concerns.

The foundation has also donated drones and Tesla Cybertrucks to the LVMPD. While proponents view these gifts as morale boosters and a way to keep the department technologically advanced without using taxpayer funds, critics argue they represent “corporate giveaways.”

The Horowitz Family Foundation has not publicly commented on future donations.

Recent Applications

Flock Safety technology played a role in the investigation and arrest of Paul Kim, accused of setting fires at a Tesla collision center in Las Vegas.