License-plate readers · Carson City

Carson City

Using license-plate readers · 1 agency documented

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Carson City Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
37
37 per Carson Now (Aug. 2026) and about 37 per News 4 (Sept. 2026), the latter from Sheriff Ken Furlong. the Nevada Appeal reported 34 in April 2026.
Contract
Flock Safety: $148,000 year · from July 2023 · Initial subscription as stated by Carson Now. July 2023 is the approval, not a confirmed start date; the Nevada Appeal dates the system's launch to 2024. (Nevada Appeal, April 16, 2026; Carson Now, Aug. 14, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $122,500 year · from April 2026 · Two-year renewal with Flock Group Inc., $245,000 total. April 2026 is the approval, not a confirmed start date. (Nevada Appeal, April 16, 2026; Carson Now, Aug. 14, 2026)
Sources
Nevada Appeal, April 16, 2026; Carson Now, Aug. 14, 2026; KOLO, Aug. 14, 2026; The Nevadan, Aug. 13, 2026; News 4 (KRXI), Sept. 15, 2026; This Is Reno, July 2026
  1. July 6, 2023 Carson City supervisors first approved the Flock contract, according to the Nevada Appeal; Carson Now gives the initial subscription as $148,000 a year. (Nevada Appeal, April 16, 2026; Carson Now, Aug. 14, 2026)
  2. Feb. 2025 The office ran three searches tied to the February 2025 50501 protests, looking for two vehicles across 178 networks, according to reporting that cites the Electronic Frontier Foundation. No finding on the merits. (The Nevadan, Aug. 13, 2026; This Is Reno, July 2026)
  3. April 2026 The Board of Supervisors pulled the renewal from its consent agenda, then approved it unanimously: two years at $122,500 a year. Sgt. Brett Bindley said 55 of 115 sworn officers have access and the system had been accessed 944 times since its 2024 launch. (Nevada Appeal, April 16, 2026; Carson Now, Aug. 14, 2026)
  4. Aug. 2026 Carson Now reported that three people were arrested after a pole holding a Flock camera in Carson City was shaken until the camera fell. No suspect is named here. (Carson Now, Aug. 14, 2026)
  5. Aug. 2026 The office launched a Flock transparency portal, KOLO reported. Carson Now reported that it had dropped 'other' as an allowed search reason and was working to bring in a volunteer outside auditor. (Carson Now, Aug. 14, 2026; KOLO, Aug. 14, 2026)
  6. Sept. 2026 News 4 reported that an audit turned up what the sheriff called questionable activity in an employee's Flock entry and that the employee later resigned; he gave no further details. The employee is unnamed and the report describes no arrest or charge. (News 4 (KRXI), Sept. 15, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • April 2026 vote: the Appeal gives only 'Thursday' and the URL is dated Apr. 16, so YYYY-MM is used.
  • Vote tally: Carson Now states 5-0; the Appeal states unanimous.
  • Retention: 30 days per Carson Now and News 4. Carson Now's reading of the portal covering the prior 30 days: 252 search sessions, 822 camera alerts, 9,105 hotlist hits.
  • Dates of the employee resignation and of the camera incident are not stated in the cited sources; the 2026-09 and 2026-08 dates reflect the reporting month.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. 2025 NRS 484A.600 bars governments and their agents from using photographic, video or digital equipment to gather evidence for traffic or civil infraction citations, except for cameras worn or held by peace officers, equipment in law enforcement vehicles or facilities, and equipment owned by a nongovernmental entity. It limits citation use and does not address plate-reader data collection. FindLaw cautions its copy may not reflect the latest version. (FindLaw, Jan. 1, 2025)
  2. March 22, 2026 The Nevada Independent reported Nevada has no laws regulating plate-reader cameras, that its search found no 2025 bills on them, and that at least five Nevada cities and counties had made Flock agreements over the prior three years. (The Nevada Independent, March 22, 2026)
  3. June 2026 At a June meeting of the interim Judiciary Committee, a representative of the Clark County Public Defender's office called for state action on the technology, the Nevada Current reported. The Review-Journal reported that public defenders in Clark and Washoe counties proposed the bill the committee later requested. (Nevada Current, Sept. 2, 2026; Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aug. 28, 2026)
  4. Aug. 2026 The Joint Interim Standing Committee on the Judiciary voted unanimously to have staff draft a bill for the 2027 session. As reported, it would require agencies using plate readers to adopt written policies, train users, undergo independent audits and report annually to the attorney general, governor and Legislature, based on a Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association model policy. It is one of up to 15 measures the committee may request. No bill text or BDR number was found. Reports give the day as a Tuesday; a committee brief had tentatively set the final meeting for Aug. 25, 2026. (The Nevada Independent, Aug. 27, 2026; Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau, Research Division, 2026; KSNV News 3, Sept. 9, 2026; Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aug. 28, 2026)
  5. Aug. 2026 The Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus urged agencies to suspend use of the Flock network until "binding safeguards, meaningful public oversight, and clear accountability measures are established," the Nevada Current reported. News 3 placed the call a few days after the committee vote; the Current reported it by Sept. 2, so the exact date is not established. (Nevada Current, Sept. 2, 2026; KSNV News 3, Sept. 9, 2026)
  6. Aug. 2026 Attorney General Aaron Ford, a candidate for governor, said through his campaign that he does not support Flock cameras until protections are in place. "Until Nevadans have these protections, I do not support the use of Flock cameras," the Review-Journal quoted him. The Nevada Current reported his campaign says he is open to a ban. These are statements; no attorney general opinion or enforcement action on plate readers was found. The Nevada Independent's Sept. 1 newsletter says he gave it the statement on a Thursday; the quote was published Aug. 28. (Nevada Current, Sept. 2, 2026; The Nevada Independent, Sept. 1, 2026; Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aug. 28, 2026)
  7. Aug. 27, 2026 KOLO/FOX5 reported that legislative legal staff described how state law governs officer conduct "according to the Model Act": the cameras may be used to investigate past crimes and the movement of people, vehicles and locations, but not to issue citations. The same report says no law explicitly governs Flock cameras, and it does not say Nevada has adopted the Model Act. (KOLO / Gray, Aug. 27, 2026)
  8. Sept. 2026 Gov. Joe Lombardo, through a spokesman, backed "responsible use" of these tools with "strong safeguards," and declined to say what guardrails he would support or whether he would support a ban, the Nevada Current reported. The statement itself is undated. No executive order on plate readers was found. (Nevada Current, Sept. 2, 2026; FOX5 Las Vegas (KVVU), Sept. 8, 2026)
  9. Sept. 1, 2026 The Nevada Independent reported Flock hired four lobbyists in Nevada during the 2025 session and advocated for a 2025 bill on law enforcement drone purchases, and that three of those lobbyists also represented Axon. (The Nevada Independent, Sept. 1, 2026)
  10. Sept. 9, 2026 The ACLU of Nevada announced that Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch (D-Reno) will introduce a 2027 bill, backed by the group, to prohibit Flock and other plate-reader networks in Nevada. The release gives no BDR number, exemptions or penalties. Executive Director Athar Haseebullah has said regulation is not enough and questioned whether existing use is constitutional, saying the Legislature never authorized it; the Nevada Current reported the group is exploring lawsuits. (ACLU of Nevada, Sept. 9, 2026; Nevada Current, Sept. 2, 2026; This Is Reno, Sept. 2026)
  11. Sept. 18, 2026 The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported La Rue Hatch had submitted a bill draft request to ban plate readers and their networks, and that a Flock spokesperson, without addressing the ban directly, said the company supports "thoughtful, bipartisan legislation." (Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sept. 18, 2026)
  12. Oct. 28, 2026 FOX5 Las Vegas reported the ACLU of Nevada and La Rue Hatch were working on a bill draft request for the next session, and repeated the positions of Lombardo, Ford and Las Vegas Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who called plate readers essential tools. The 2027 session begins Feb. 1, 2027, the Nevada Current reported. (Nevada Current, Sept. 2, 2026; FOX5 Las Vegas (KVVU), Oct. 28, 2026)

State agencies

Nevada Highway Patrol (Nevada Department of Public Safety)

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Drivewyze
Cameras
Count not documented
No current count found. The Review-Journal reported one truck-screening van finished and a second expected within several months as of December 2024, each with a plate reader in front and a thermal camera in back.
Sources
GovTech, Dec. 17, 2024; MuckRock, Sept. 19, 2022; Las Vegas Review-Journal, Dec. 2024
  1. Aug. 2009 In a records response, NHP said it had four plate readers assigned in August 2009 and no longer has them or any related data. (MuckRock, Sept. 19, 2022)
  2. 2022 Responding to a public records request filed Sept. 19, 2022, NHP wrote: "Currently, we (the NHP) do not utilize Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR's), either mobile or stationary." It said it had bought Axon Fleet 3 but does not use its plate-reader function, has no plate-reader training or policies, and knows of no sharing agreements with other agencies. The response carries no date we could read; it follows an agency notice estimating completion by Dec. 30, 2022, so it did not come in the month of the request. It also answers items the requester cited as contradicting an earlier reply, including a 2021 Axon press release and an April 2022 news article. (MuckRock, Sept. 19, 2022)
  3. Dec. 2024 The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported NHP was about to start using a federally funded van with a plate reader and thermal camera to pick out trucks for inspection, after a demonstration at an inspection site off Interstate 15. The system draws on federal databases such as truck safety scores. Each van cost more than $700,000 with its technology, paid by a federal grant awarded in 2022. A Drivewyze founder told the paper the company designed the technology. (GovTech, Dec. 17, 2024; Las Vegas Review-Journal, Dec. 2024)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Status is unconfirmed because the latest evidence of plate-reader use is December 2024, before the 12-month window. Nothing opened shows whether the vans are still in use.
  • The 2022 denial predates the vans and concerned general plate-reader use; the two statements do not necessarily conflict, but no source reconciles them.
  • The van reads truck plates as part of commercial vehicle screening. Nothing opened says whether it also reads passenger vehicles or how long data is kept; the Review-Journal article does not address retention.
  • The Review-Journal page shows no date in the text we read. December 2024 comes from the licensed GovTech reprint dated Dec. 17, 2024.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.