CCSD Police chief holds use of Flock cameras until end of review, district says

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Clark County School District has confirmed to FOX5 that police have paused the use of Flock cameras while the newly appointed chief reviews procedures.

In a statement shared Wednesday, CCSD confirmed that the new CCSDPD Chief Jeff Clark will be “reviewing all CCSDPD procedures, including the use of FLOCK® System cameras.” The district says until the review is complete, the use of the Flock System cameras will be paused.

“The Clark County School District (CCSD) understands the imperative to balance the need for privacy with the need to respond quickly to serious crimes. CCSDPD has utilized Flock System cameras since August, 2024 to aid in the investigation of serious criminal events. However, Clark County School District Police Department (CCSDPD) Chief Jeff Clark is newly appointed to his position and is reviewing all CCSDPD procedures, including the use of Flock System cameras. Chief Clark has decided to pause the use of the Flock System cameras until his review is completed,” the district says. “CCSD will be fully transparent with the community about the use of Flock System cameras.”

FOX5 has asked Flock how many cameras are operational, across Clark County; Metro Police does disclose that it has 211 cameras on its website.

Recent order: who could access the system, and when?

Earlier today, CCSD also provided a copy of a general order for police which took effect on August 24.

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According to the order, the department’s Investigations Bureau maintains the agreement with Flock that allows access to all shared cameras within Clark County and the Las Vegas area. The cameras are owned, maintained, and funded by local agencies and businesses, and the department is given share-only access to available cameras.

The Clark County School District and its police department do not have Flock System cameras on any district properties and do not own, lease, or otherwise maintain any Flock System cameras within their jurisdiction, the order states.

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According to the order, CCSDPD’s Investigations Bureau was the only authorized division within the department allowed to access and use the Flock System. The order stated that authorized users are limited to:

• Detectives assigned to the Investigations Bureau
• Officers assigned as liaison officers and/or task force officers with local agencies who are assigned to the Investigations Bureau
• The chain of command for the Investigations Bureau

No other department personnel were permitted to log into or access the Flock System, according to the order.

Authorized users could only access the Flock System as a tool for investigative methods tied to assigned cases, according to the order. Use was strictly limited to investigations into felonies, firearms, narcotics, and child endangerment.

The order listed authorized uses as:

• Surveillance for an assigned investigation
• Investigation of an assigned case, documented in the Report Management System
• Follow-up investigation of an assigned case
• Establishing a pattern of conduct for a suspect or suspects by documenting vehicle whereabouts
• Attempting to locate or identify a suspect vehicle during an active investigation
• Any other approved law enforcement-related reason with an assigned case number

Under the order, any authorized user must obtain permission from the Investigations Bureau Commander/Lieutenant before accessing the Flock System for an active, assigned case.

Authorized users remain responsible for obtaining permission before accessing the system, documenting the date and time of use within the investigative report, and documenting all findings or lack of information from the system within the investigative report, according to the order.

FOX5 has asked CCSD how many times police have accessed Flock data since August 2024; LVMPD posts online that 3,800 searches had been done, in the past 30 days.

ACLU responds, voices concerns with Flock camera use

The ACLU of Nevada voiced approval for the “pause,” but raised a number of concerns with CCSD Police use of data.

“Why would CCSD police need access to Flock cameras off-site from schools? Most of the crimes that they would be alleging to have investigated would in fact fall outside of their jurisdiction, and so the likelihood of misuse remains very, very high,” said Athar Haseebullah.

“Why were there not public hearings surrounding their use of surveillance technology?” he said.

FOX5 has asked CCSD for clarifications on its policies: why the latest order did not go before the school Board? When would the Board review these policies, or when would it not do so?