For four years, the number of burglaries in North Platte has trended in one direction — downward.

One of the big reasons is the use of Flock cameras.

That’s according to the North Platte police, who point to sharply fewer burglaries since 2022, when Flock cameras were installed around the city.

“When we started… we had 97 burglaries. That number dropped to 41 in 2023. So far in 2026, we’ve had 12. That represents an 88% reduction,” Police Chief Steve Reeves said.

Concerns about Flock cameras are prevalent around the country, seemingly heightened by the development of hyperscale data centers, and the data they collect about individual’s likes, dislikes, habits and travels. Data collection ties into concerns that the license plate readers might tie into a national surveillance system, further eroding privacy and individual liberty.

In other parts of the country, the cameras have been used by individual law officers to track the vehicles of ex-girlfriends, ex-spouses and co-workers, according to an extensive report in the Sept. 3 edition of the USA Today newspaper.

A few places, including the town of Ord, Neb., have removed their Flock cameras in response to concerns.

Reeves, however, would hate to do without them.

In North Platte, the cameras overlook streets in 27 locations (see map below) watching traffic 24/7 on several of North Platte busiest roadways, such as Buffalo Bill Ave., Fourth St, Philip Ave. Dewey and Jeffers streets, Rodeo Road and the I-80 exits.

The cameras are like having 27 more sets of eyes on the street, and also, they are much more affordable than hiring more officers. The cameras cost North Platte about $89,000, compared to around $123,000 per officer per year for wages, benefits and equipment, Reeves has said.

Flock cameras take photos of license plates and such vehicle characteristics as dents, cracks and bumper stickers. They provide objective evidence for police investigations and county attorney prosecutions. They do not monitor traffic at stoplights nor are they intended to catch traffic or parking violators.

Reeves said the cameras do not photograph anything inside the car. However, some say otherwise. In a joint investigation by 404 Media and WIRED, Hackers who stole a camera and took it apart to see how it works. They reported that the camera’s computer-vision software explicitly identified people, vehicles, license plates and bicycles. The camera could also generate dozens of images of a single passing vehicle.

Although that investigation has not yet been confirmed by others, everyone agrees that the cameras do read and record the plate numbers of cars and the exterior of the vehicle. They snap a freeze-frame photograph of a vehicle as it passes by. The camera can stop the action of a car moving 100 mph, the company says.

They are not pointed at private property, only at public streets to read public license plate numbers, advocates say.

Reeves said the cameras, used properly and ethically, don’t invade anyone’s privacy. Each search of the images stored on the camera must stem from information about a crime that has occurred. Only selected officers can use the cameras after receiving special training.

Applying technology

According to Reeves, the cameras have proved their worth in the number of crimes that have been solved because license plate numbers were recorded. He said technology has become an important crime-fighting tool for the department.

Since Reeves became chief, the number of drug-related crimes has also decreased dramatically. He doesn’t attribute the entire reduction in burglaries and drug crimes to Flock cameras, but they have certainly been a help. In addition, he has also instituted programs to automate some of the paperwork of police reports, allowing North Platte’s 46 officers more time to patrol and investigate crimes.

The arrest data is persuasive.

As of July 31 this year, Flock license plate cameras helped arrest 98 suspects, Deputy Police Chief Kendall Allison said. Last year, 132 suspects were arrested, Allison said.

In the first seven months of 2026, Flock cameras helped recover four stolen vehicles with a combined value of $91,000.

The cameras were used in nine drug investigations, leading to 11 arrests and the seizure of 112 grams of meth, 12 grams of cocaine and 19 fentanyl pills. A single July 21 drug investigation turned up $7,000 in cash.

Flock cameras were used this year in 16 hit and run investigations, one of which was a felony. Fourteen people were subsequently arrested, Allison reported.

The numbers were equivalent in 2025 — 10 drug investigations leading to 14 arrests; 22 firearms seized; 19 hit and runs solved. In March 2025, Flock cameras helped identify three members of the Tren de Aragua gang who vandalized an ATM in a multi-state, multi-million dollar fraud ring. Gang members prosecuted federally.

In March 2025, Flock cameras led to the identification of a suspect responsible for burglarizing three churches. The suspect was also tied to burglaries in Burwell.

In August 2025, a Chinese national was indentified in a bank fraud in which $36,000 was recovered. His path of activity was mapped using the cameras.

In October 2025, Flock cameras helped track the vehicle of a suspect in a stabbing at a North Platte laundromat, leading to his arrest, Allison said.

Sending an alert

The cameras are connected to databases such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Crime Information Center. Inside the databases are the names of wanted persons, missing persons, foreign fugitives, stolen vehicles, stolen parts, and stolen license plates, and the plate number of a car connected to the suspect.

If a camera sees a vehicle associated with a missing or a wanted person, it sends police an alert.

Each evening, North Platte police, as well as other law enforcement agencies around the country, routinely load warrant information and associated car license plate numbers into the national database, which is a task they’ve performed for years.

Once the information is entered, Flock cameras will recognize the license plate and alert police. If the camera alerts police, the next step is for police to physically see if the person driving that car has a warrant for arrest, Reeves said.

The follow up investigation is vital; sometimes there is more to the story than meets the camera lens.

For instance, a car throwing sparks from the exhaust started fires on July 22. The fire initially broke out near the Wild West Arena. Then it flared up that afternoon south of the city on the west side of U.S. Highway 83. At first, sheriff’s investigators suspected arson. A Flock camera identified the car’s plate, which led deputies to the owner. But the owner said he wasn’t driving the car when the camera took the photo. He’d left the car with a mechanic.

When questioned, the mechanic said the car had been parked for several years and after working on it, he took it for a test drive. Unbeknownst to the mechanic or the owner, the car spewed sparks from the exhaust. Later the wind fanned the flames.

No citations were issued.

Results

However, in another case in January, Allison said police arrested a suspect who was charged with six counts of theft of tires valued at more than $50,000.

In a July case, Flock information helped collar two suspects from Texas who allegedly stole items from Anytime Fitness downtown.

In May, data from a camera was used in the case of a pedestrian who was intentionally hit by the driver of a car.

During the first seven months of this year, Flock data was used in nine drug investigations leading to 11 arrests. Also, Flock information was used in 16 hit and run investigations, in which 14 people were arrested, Allison said.

According to the police, the cameras are not used to harass or intimidate an individual or group, nor conduct unconstitutional searches and seizures.

Each search requires justification. The data is never sold to or shared with third parties. The police maintain a strict policy about the use of the system, Reeves reiterated.

The decline in North Platte’s burglary rate, falling from nearly 100 burglaries per year to just 20 or so, testifies to the value of the cameras. Reeves would hate to do without them.

(This report was first published in the Bulletin’s Sept. 23 print edition.)

Below: The locations of Flock License Plate Reader Cameras in North Platte. Source: North Platte Police Department.

© 2026 The North Platte Bulletin. All rights reserved!