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Thursday, May 14, 2026

Does SD have any laws about Automatic License Plate Readers?

Michael Klinski, South Dakota News Watch
no

Flock Safety’s Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) are operational in 49 states, including South Dakota, but the Mount Rushmore State has no laws on the books about surveillance cameras and privacy.

Several states do, however. Maine law restricts police use of traffic surveillance cameras for enforcement purposes and places limits on government use of facial recognition technology.

According to CNET, Florida and New Hampshire have laws limiting the ability of ALPR systems to record or share certain personal information.

Flock cameras capture images that law enforcement uses to compare plate numbers against plates of stolen cars or cars driven by people with charges.

The Sioux Falls Police Department and the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office both use Flock cameras, and so does Madison. 

According to the Sioux Falls PD Flock Transparency Portal, license plates and vehicles are detected, but there is no facial recognition or identification of people, gender or race. 

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

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