Las Vegas Flock cameras put public safety and privacy at odds

Las Vegas Flock cameras put public safety and privacy at odds LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — More than 200 Flock license plate readers are operating across the Las Vegas Valley, giving police a tool to locate stolen vehicles, missing people and suspects while raising questions about the information collected from drivers who are not accused of crimes. The local debate is receiving renewed attention amid viral social media posts encouraging people to damage or disable the cameras on Halloween. The posts have also brought broader questions about police surveillance into focus. News 3 counted eight Flock cameras at one valley intersection, positioned to capture vehicles traveling in multiple directions. The cameras photograph license plates and record information such as the time, location and a vehicle’s make, model and color. Those observations can then be searched and linked across a wider network. “It feels like you’re constantly being surveilled, and that’s what they’re for,” Las Vegas resident Joshua Coulson said. “So I don’t feel like it’s just for safety.” William Sousa, a UNLV criminal justice professor and director of the university’s Center for Crime and Justice Policy, said the cameras give investigators another way to track vehicles connected to serious crimes. “The police will use them for issues such as tracking down stolen cars,” Sousa said. “They’ve been used for AMBER Alerts. They’ve been used in cases where robbery suspects are tracked down and then arrested.” Sousa said the cameras can also deter crime when people know an area is being monitored. However, the same system records vehicles that are not connected to an investigation. “Few people, for example, would argue against the use of the technology for tracking down car thieves or in cases of child abduction, but they’re more concerned about the technology being used to monitor someone’s daily activities,”