Nebraska Public Media reported that Nebraska's rules on automated license plate readers are stronger than those in some neighboring states. The story, by Luke Nozicka and Chad Davis of the Midwest Newsroom, compares Nebraska with Iowa, Kansas and Missouri as lawmakers across the region push for limits on the cameras.
How does Nebraska's law work?
- Nearly 30 agencies in Nebraska have used license plate readers.
- State law requires agencies to report how the cameras are used to a commission.
- The law does not require regular audits of officers' searches.
- It penalizes misuse with civil damages, according to the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, a federally funded nonprofit.
Which Midwest states have weaker rules?
Iowa is among more than 20 states with little or no statute on license plate readers, according to the Policing Project at New York University School of Law. The only Iowa law on the subject sets a maximum 30-day data retention period. About 60 government agencies in Iowa use the cameras, and the state's six bills from the 2026 session did not pass.
Kansas' law does not provide drivers with "meaningful protections," according to a 2025 report by the ACLU of Iowa and the University of Iowa's Technology Law Clinic. The report says the law sends records requests to the agency that runs the system and lets agencies withhold records that would reveal where cameras are.
Missouri had no regulations until mid-September, when Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order directing the Department of Public Safety to set safeguards for state-funded agencies. The order covers state-funded agencies, and state House Speaker Jon Patterson has said the General Assembly must create "clear, permanent protections" in state law.
Do audits happen in the Midwest?
Thirteen states require routine audits of officers' data searches to catch abuse. Minnesota is the only Midwest state that does, according to the Policing Project. Some departments audit themselves. The Hazelwood Police Department in north St. Louis County said it audits users monthly.
What changes for drivers?
Nebraska's rules apply to Nebraska agencies. Nebraska Public Media does not say whether any of those agencies will change how they use the cameras.
Ord, a city of about 2,100 people in central Nebraska, voted to remove its two cameras, according to the Flatwater Free Press. Officials in Valley County, where Ord is located, want to keep seven other cameras across the county. Nebraska Public Media does not say when the county will decide.
Missouri's executive order is the next state action to watch, and Nebraska Public Media does not give a date for when its safeguards will take effect. To find cameras near you, see the camera map. For background on how the systems work, read how plate readers work.