Yes.

Flock has hundreds of cameras in and around Las Vegas, according to DeFlock, which advocates against Flock and tracks its cameras. Some are owned by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which uses the cameras for policing. 

Las Vegas is unusual because cameras have been donated by venture-capitalist Ben Horowitz, who has allocated millions for Flock technology in Vegas. Because the donations were private and made to a nonprofit connected to the Las Vegas police, taxpayers have little say in the technology’s implementation. 

Some experts warn the cameras can be misused by law enforcement — Flock has been used by police officers to track romantic partners — and have raised concerns about privacy infringement and the ethics of constant surveillance of citizens. 

Proponents say it is necessary to fight crime, and Horowitz has attributed drops in crime to cameras and other donations he’s made.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

The Nevada Independent partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Sources

• The Nevada Independent, Vegas police are big users of license plate readers. Public has little input because it’s a gift.
• KSNV, Automated license plate readers help Las Vegas police solve crimes
• DeFlock, DeFlock Map
• TechCrunch, Ben Horowitz’s cozy relationship with the Las Vegas Police Department aided a16z portfolio company Skydio
• X.com, @bhorowitz