Ten license plate reader cameras in Weber County were searched over 5.1 million times by law enforcement agencies across 45 states, according to a report published August 11. Records released by the county under Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act show that 3,343 agencies conducted 5,171,087 searches against the network between February 2022 and July 2026.
The investigation found that 96.6% of all searches came from outside Utah, a figure that rose to 98.6% during the first seven months of 2026. Texas accounted for 43% of all activity, with the Houston Police Department responsible for 36.8% of the searches. Federal agencies conducted 125,719 searches, led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with 103,558 searches.
Weber County deputies conducted 13,100 of the total searches. The county's own rank among agencies searching its own cameras in 2026 was 159th out of 245.
Data indicates that 2,141,406 searches, or 41.4% of the total, carried a stated reason that does not match any purpose permitted by Utah law. Under Utah Code, license plate reader systems may only be used for specific exceptions, including active criminal investigations, apprehending individuals with outstanding warrants, locating missing or endangered persons, or locating stolen vehicles.
A review of the records shows that Weber County does not own the cameras, the images, or the derivative outputs; instead, the county maintains a subscription. While Utah law requires law enforcement to record the crime type and incident number for every search and preserve those records for five years, there is currently no administrative mechanism in Utah for one agency to verify if other agencies are following these laws.
In response to an inquiry on August 6, 2026, the Weber County Sheriff's Office stated it does not maintain a record of audits for the system. However, the office later clarified that while audits have been performed, no log was kept, and the office has since implemented a new form to log network audits going forward.
The Utah Civic Compact, a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) organization, is calling for a legislative audit by the Office of the Legislative Auditor General and the establishment of a verification mechanism to ensure agencies follow state law.
