🚨 Tracked in Somersett: License Plate Readers, HOA Overreach, and the Politics of Looking Away

A Reno resident raises red flags about HOA surveillance—and discovers how deep the ties run between private interests and City Hall: Here's looking at you Devon Reese and Kathleen Taylor.

When Mike Demler moved from Silicon Valley to the quiet hills of Canyon Pines on New Year's Day 2022, he expected a slower pace of life, not a hard lesson in small-town politics, HOA overreach, and government indifference.

What started as a neighborhood privacy concern quickly unraveled into a telling glimpse of how connected Reno's political leadership is to the region's wealthier enclaves—and how little appetite there seems to be for questioning that power.

🔍 The Issue: License Plate Readers on Public Roads

In early 2024, Demler spotted something alarming in the Somersett HOA newsletter: a plan to install automated license plate readers (ALPRs) at two locations in northwest Reno—Roundabout #4, which connects Logan Ridge Trail and Somersett Parkway, and the so-called guard shack near Mae Anne.

These are not private, gated cul-de-sacs. These are public city roads used not only by Somersett residents but also by the entire Canyon Pines neighborhood and beyond.

"I was quite perturbed at their arrogance and disregard for personal privacy," Demler told me in a follow-up email. "Somersett Parkway at Mae Anne is not solely the entrance to Somersett properties. Logan Ridge is the primary road into our entire neighborhood."

🚔 What the Law Says

Demler did his homework. He cited Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) Chapter 179, which defines a tracking device as:

"An electronic or mechanical device that permits the tracking of the movement of a person or an object."

— NRS 179.451

That's precisely what ALPRs do: they log license plates, timestamps, and vehicle movements across multiple points—without notice, consent, or public oversight. While some courts have ruled there is no expectation of privacy on public roads, that doesn't resolve the ethical or civil liberty concerns of private, unregulated surveillance on taxpayer-owned infrastructure.

📎 City Hall Responds—Or Doesn't

Demler first raised the issue with Councilmember Kathleen Taylor, who acknowledged the roads were public but showed little interest in challenging the HOA's authority. In fact, she forwarded Demler's private email to Somersett HOA President Jacob Williams, a former police officer, without his consent.

"She addressed him as Jacob," Demler wrote, "while calling me 'Mr. Demler.' I thought that said everything."

Williams responded by invoking a boilerplate legal argument: that activity on public roads isn't subject to privacy expectations.

But as Demler rightly countered: "We also have a right not to be tracked. These cameras are, by design, tracking devices. Just because someone can be seen in public doesn't mean they've agreed to have their movements recorded and stored by an HOA."

🧱 A Wall of Political Resistance

Frustrated, Demler escalated his complaint to Devon Reese, Reno's at-large City Councilmember and now the District 5 representative. His first message was an 800-word appeal explaining why this was a citywide issue, not a neighborhood squabble.

Reese's response? One line:

"Mike - thanks for the email. We will have to disagree on this one."

Only after further inquiry did Demler realize Reese himself lives in Somersett. In his follow-up, Reese proudly described himself as a 20-year resident of Somersett and a 6th-generation Nevadan, essentially telling Demler to stop wasting his time.

"We will not see eye-to-eye on the issue," Reese wrote, "Why waste your time?"

🤝 The Small-Town Machine

This is the part of the story that hits hardest. It's not just about cameras. It's about how city officials defer to their friends and neighbors in elite HOAs, while residents outside those circles are dismissed.

Demler compared it to a Massachusetts town of 20,000 where he once lived, which insiders ran and outsiders had no say. Unfortunately, Reno, though bigger, has the same issues.

"I had hoped Devon Reese would lose his bid to represent District 5," Demler said. "But I see now what an uphill battle Brian Cassidy had."

🔒 Privacy is a Public Concern—Not an HOA Policy

Demler's case brings up urgent civic questions:

• Should private entities be allowed to operate surveillance equipment on public roads?

• What data protections exist when HOAs capture and store license plate records?

• Who ensures that such systems aren't used for profiling, harassment, or resale?

Even when Reno Police installed ALPRs in 2019, they faced backlash and offered public guarantees. Yet here, a private HOA moves forward—with no public input, no council debate, and no data transparency—and the city appears to look the other way.

🛑 Call for Action

City government must reclaim oversight of public spaces. No HOA should have the unilateral power to track vehicles on public roads. And no resident should have to fight this hard to get a fair hearing.

As the Nevada Constitution reminds us:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons... against unreasonable searches... shall not be violated."

— Nev. Const. Art. 1, § 18

This is not just about Somersett. It's about setting boundaries between private power and public rights.

If you have similar concerns or live in a neighborhood facing similar surveillance overreach, email me about it.