👁️ Is Big Brother already watching?

In what may be a grim reflection of the realities of modern surveillance technology, the latest Spider-Man flick (mild spoiler alert) includes not only the use of warrantless mass surveillance and facial recognition – but basically breezes past the concept as unremarkable. Well, Peter Parker, meet Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who took to the papers this week to defend Las Vegas’ burgeoning camera surveillance dragnet. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

• McMahill told the RJ that Metro can see through roughly 180 Flock Safety cameras and another 130 Motorola cameras valley-wide. That network is supplemented by another 300 private security systems run by companies, apartment managers and neighborhood watches that “help [Metro] solve crimes.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
• The sheriff went so far as calling the camera network “one of the single most effective tools that we have in law enforcement to solve some of the crimes we have,” and defended license plate readers for stopping short of facial recognition. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
• Local governments nationwide have started to question or even roll back the rapid expansion of AI-powered surveillance tech. That includes the cameras provided by Flock Safety, which have come under intense scrutiny both over cybersecurity concerns and potential misuse by police. [404 Media]
• It’s not just Metro. Utah-based CollisionCam installed 70 more traffic cameras around Las Vegas in January, with the goal of taping fender benders and charging insurance companies for the footage (while allowing victims access for free). The company stressed it’s no Flock – and doesn’t monitor license plates. [KLAS]
• Could Vegas adopt red light cameras? That’s still up in the air. An expansive legislative effort to do just that, backed by McMahill, died in 2025. In its place, the city stood up a narrower pilot program aimed at improving traffic safety. [KSNV]
• Just don’t expect any rollbacks in Vegas anytime soon. Unlike those other local governments, Metro’s Flock cameras came via rich tech guy donation, placing them outside the purview of the local boards, commissions or other elected officials who might otherwise have something to say about all this. [Nevada Independent]

🛏️ Bedbug Bedlam?

Kind of – at least according to Southern Nevada Health District data, which showed six Strip properties with confirmed bedbug cases between 2024 and this July (Caesars, Bellagio, Cosmo, The Strat, Resorts World and Horseshoe). That’s only a handful of confirmed cases out of more than 80 reported cases, so I guess that counts as a silver lining? [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

⚡ Nevada’s Electric Shutoffs Surge

That’s according to a new report from the Energy Policy Institute, which found a monthly average of 1.18% of NV Energy customers having their electricity disconnected in 2024. It may not seem like a lot, but it’s more than any state outside the Deep South, and at least 4 times higher than disconnection rates in Arizona (0.3%), California (0.28%) and Utah (0.22%). [Nevada Independent]

🗳️ Legislators Tee Up More Election Reforms

Chiefly, lawmakers are looking to protect the state’s elections from federal meddling, especially as Trump has continued to spur baseless fraud claims over the 2020 election. Lawmakers have also instructed staff to start drafting bills to tighten mail ballot processing deadlines in Clark and Washoe – a welcome sight for those of us still yearning for faster election results. [Nevada Current]

🚦 Prepare for Presidential Lane Closures

With Trump jetting into Las Vegas this week for a speech at Summerlin’s Red Rock Casino, you can expect one thing above all else: Traffic. Presidential motorcade routes aren’t published in advance, but with Trump likely staying at Trump Tower, be prepared for closures on any and all roads between the tower, airport and Red Rock between his arrival tonight and speech Wednesday afternoon. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

• On that subject, City Cast Las Vegas breaks down what to expect from Trump’s stump speech, including asking if “no tax on tips” was worth all the hubbub. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]