Larry Rhoden is the Republican governor of South Dakota, in office since January 2025. A rancher and custom welder, he was elected lieutenant governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Rhoden previously held office in both chambers of the state legislature, including as House majority leader. He spent six years in the South Dakota National Guard after high school and later joined his local school board. Rhoden was interim agriculture secretary from May to September 2020 and agriculture ambassador from 2020 to 2025.
Case
Networked automated license-plate cameras can assemble searchable records of vehicle movements. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to ban the systems, keep them with limits, or defend them as investigative tools. This tracker separates outright bans from narrower restrictions.
Role at the time: Governor of South Dakota, in an emailed statement from his office
Statement summary
In a statement sent by his press secretary, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said license plate readers recently helped save a kidnapped 15-year-old girl in the state and that "this technology works," while sound guardrails are needed. He said his team is working with law enforcement and the attorney general to determine those guardrails.
“Just a few weeks ago, license plate readers here in South Dakota helped save a 15-year-old girl who had been kidnapped! This technology works; but like anything, we must have sound guardrails in place. My team is actively working with law enforcement and the Attorney General to determine what those guardrails look like.”
The number one responsibility of government is keeping people safe – and we should do so responsibly and with an eye to privacy. Just a few weeks ago, license plate readers here in South Dakota helped save a 15-year-old girl who had been kidnapped! This technology works; but like anything, we must have sound guardrails in place. My team is actively working with law enforcement and the Attorney General to determine what those guardrails look like.
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Rhoden defends the readers as technology that works, citing a kidnapping rescue, and calls for guardrails his team is still developing, which supports continued use with safeguards, so we labeled it Defended with the Guardrails step. His call for guardrails does not make his support conditional.
Statement dates: October 1, 2026
Statement dates: October 1, 2026
Statement dates: October 1, 2026
Statement dates: October 1, 2026
