Surveillance & Privacy

News analysis

Tooele Detective Used License Plate Reader Database to Track Girlfriend's Estranged Husband

A Tooele County detective used a license plate reader to look up a car he had no lawful reason to search. The state suspended his police certification for 18 months. According to KSL, the case never reached the county attorney, and the window to charge it is still open.

Sources: KSL, Nov. 9, 2026.

Police technology

Salt Lake City Police Now Send a Drone Before an Officer

Salt Lake City police keep seven drones at launch points around the city to answer 911 calls, and in August they beat officers to the scene 70 percent of the time. State law limits what police can do with drone video. The promises against patrol flights and facial recognition are department policy.

Sources: KUTV, Oct. 6, 2026; Salt Lake Tribune, Oct. 2, 2026.

Utah law

Tracking someone without permission is a class A misdemeanor

Utah law makes it a crime to put a tracking device on another person's car, body or belongings without permission, or to use a tracking app on their phone to follow their movements. Keeping the tracking going after the person withdraws permission counts too. The offense is a class A misdemeanor, which carries up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. The Legislature rewrote the law this year, with changes taking effect in May and September.

There are exceptions. Police may track someone during a criminal investigation or under a court order. A parent may track a minor child with the other parent's permission. Rental companies may track their own cars. A licensed private investigator may place a tracker for a legitimate business purpose, but only after confirming the car's owner is not protected by a protective order.

Sources: Utah law on tracking devices; TownLift, May 7, 2026.

Legislature

Coalition drafting a plate reader oversight bill

A bipartisan coalition of advocacy groups, lawmakers and law enforcement partners is drafting plate reader legislation for the session that starts in January. Its top priority is a warrant requirement before police search plate data during an active investigation, with exceptions for stolen car hot lists, missing persons and emergencies. It also wants independent audits of agency systems.

Sources: KSL, Nov. 11, 2026.

Utah Privacy Commission

State privacy panel sends its plate reader recommendations to lawmakers

The Utah Privacy Commission approved a report in October recommending a statewide 21-day limit on keeping plate reader data, supervisor approval and a documented purpose for every search of stored records, search logs that cannot be altered, and independent audits. It also says officers who knowingly misuse these systems should face decertification and criminal penalties. The report went to the Legislature's Government Operations Interim Committee on Oct. 21.

Sources: Utah Privacy Commission report.

Ogden

Ogden's police chief defends the city's 41 plate readers

Ogden's police chief told the City Council the city's 41 plate readers have helped recover stolen cars and locate suspects, and said misuse of the data is a crime. Some residents raised privacy concerns at the work session.

Sources: KSL, Oct. 15, 2026.

Legislature

Senate committee chair opens a bill file on plate readers

Sen. Calvin Musselman, R-West Haven, who chairs the Legislature's law enforcement interim committee, requested a bill file on plate reader privacy rules. A 2026 bill on the same subject was never taken up in committee and died at the end of the session.

Sources: Utah News Dispatch via KPCW; LegiScan, H.B. 327 (2026).

Governor

Cox asks state privacy boards to review Flock camera use

Gov. Spencer Cox asked the state's privacy boards to review how agencies use Flock cameras after the Utah Civic Compact found that 10 Weber County cameras were searched 5.1 million times between February 2022 and July 2026, with nearly 97 percent of those searches coming from agencies outside Utah.

Sources: Utah News Dispatch; KUTV.