The growing number of public surveillance cameras in Nevada is raising eyebrows — especially from civil rights advocates and lawmakers.
There are nearly 1,000 automated license plate readers (ALPRs) scattered across the state. That’s according to the website flockcameralocations.com, which shows a live map of where the cameras are located and which directions they are pointed. The greatest density of the cameras are located in Las Vegas.
The cameras are largely operated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which uses two automated license plate reader vendors — Flock Safety and Motorola — to capture license plates, vehicle characteristics, and the time and location of vehicles.
Law enforcement says automated license plate reader technology helps solve crimes, but groups like the ACLU of Nevada argue it invades privacy and should be banned.
Isabella Aldrete, a reporter with The Nevada Independent, told KNPR's State of Nevada that law enforcement is lauding the effectiveness of the cameras.
"The Reno Police Department said in a recent town hall that the license plate readers have helped solve two homicide cases this year and two hit-and-runs," she said. "And Ben Horowitz, who has donated the Flock cameras to LVMPD, has said the number of suspects arrested have increased after the implementation of these Flock cameras."
Reporting from the Independent reveals that Horowitz, co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, has poured millions of dollars into Flock camera installation in the Vegas valley. He's also a notable campaign donor.
"He is one of the most prominent political donors in the entire U.S., especially to right-wing causes and the Trump campaign," Aldrete said. "He has also been a major donor to Joe Lombardo and his gubernatorial campaign. He and his wife had donated more than a million dollars to his campaign this year. And obviously, people have questions about why that is happening."
The use of automated license plate readers has increasingly become a political issue.
Earlier this month, Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is running against Republican incumbent Governor Joe Lombardo, called for “stringent rules to protect against the abuse of Flock cameras," and that he does not support the use of Flock cameras until protections are put in place.
At the same time, a spokesman for Governor Lombardo’s reelection campaign told the Nevada Current that the governor supports “responsible use of advanced technology, including cameras and automated license plate readers, to fight crime and protect Nevadans... but they must be accompanied by strong safeguards to protect the privacy and constitutional rights of citizens.”
However, neither campaign has offered many specifics on how they plan to do that.
State lawmakers, in particular, have vowed to raise the issue during the 2027 legislative session. That includes Democratic Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch of Reno. She's calling for an outright ban on the technology statewide. Similar restrictions failed during the 2025 legislative session, but La Rue Hatch said she's going to continue pushing the issue, possibly beyond the 2027 session.
"I think that if this doesn't go through session, then absolutely we should take it to the voters. And I think that local governments, prior to implementing these kind of systems, should be going to their voters. I think that this should be approved by the people before we are engaging in mass surveillance."
Guests: Isabella Aldrete, reporter, The Nevada Independent; Selena La Rue Hatch, Democratic Assemblymember, Reno
