Clark County School District police will not seek a new agreement to access Flock surveillance camera data, chief says

What happened

Clark County School District police will not pursue a new memorandum of understanding that would let the department tap into Flock surveillance camera systems, KTNV Channel 13 reported. Police Chief Jeff Clark announced the decision in a statement Monday.

The move follows a pause the department put in place in August on its use of the camera system, which had been expected to support investigations. Clark said any future updates on Flock cameras would be shared with the Board of School Trustees and the public.

How the district used Flock data

Access through partner agencies

Clark said the district police department does not own or operate any Flock hardware. Instead, it had reached the camera data through law enforcement agencies it partnered with, according to KTNV.

CCSD police had relied on the cameras since August 2024 to help investigate what the district described as serious criminal events. The district said Clark chose to pause their use for further review because he was newly appointed as police chief.

What an internal memo said

A memo obtained by Channel 13 described how the department planned to use the system. Only the Investigations Bureau would access the cameras, and only those in the Clark County and Las Vegas area. Those cameras are owned, maintained and funded by local agencies and businesses, and the district police had share-only access to the ones available.

The memo also stated that neither CCSD nor its police department has Flock cameras on district property. It added that they do not own, lease or otherwise maintain any Flock cameras within their jurisdiction.

Emergency response and oversight

The chief's statement

Clark said the department would still turn to other agencies when students, staff or the community face imminent danger. In those cases, he wrote, "we will collaborate with our law enforcement partners and use all available tools to ensure their safety," KTNV reported.

ACLU of Nevada's concerns

After the district announced the pause, the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada urged school trustees to act. In a letter to the Board of School Trustees, the group said it would be "reckless" to let district police decide on adopting the technology without board oversight, according to KTNV.

Flock cameras in the Las Vegas valley

Flock cameras have operated in the valley since at least 2023, when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department entered into an agreement with Flock, KTNV reported. A February report by the Nevada Independent found that Metro operates about 200 Flock license plate reader cameras on city or county infrastructure and shares that data with hundreds of state and local law enforcement agencies across the country.

The cameras have been the subject of debate nationwide in recent months, as Americans push back on how their movements are observed and how police use the data. Readers can follow related coverage in our public safety section and our schools coverage.

What to watch next

• Further updates on CCSD police use of Flock cameras, which Chief Jeff Clark said will be shared with the Board of School Trustees and the public.
• Whether the Board of School Trustees responds to the ACLU of Nevada's call for board oversight of police decisions on adopting the technology.
• How CCSD police coordinate with partner law enforcement agencies in emergencies, which Clark said they will continue to do.