Flock Safety is a US surveillance company whose automated license plate readers (ALPRs) photograph every passing vehicle. Each photo is analyzed to capture the plate number, vehicle color, type, make and even bumper stickers, then stored in a searchable database that thousands of law-enforcement agencies can query — often across state lines and without a warrant.
Flock says it operates more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states. Independent crowdsourced maps (including this one) document a growing share of them.
| Location | Typical setup |
|---|---|
| Intersections & major roads | Pole-mounted solar cameras facing traffic lanes |
| Neighborhood & HOA entrances | Contracted by homeowner associations |
| School zones | Safety programs, often publicly funded |
| Police patrol cars | Mobile ALPR units that scan while driving |
Because the system records everyone — not just suspects. Documented misuse cases include officers searching plates of romantic partners, protesters, and people seeking medical care. Several dozen communities have canceled Flock contracts, and legislators in multiple states have proposed restrictions. The controversy has made "flock camera controversy" a search topic of its own: residents argue at city council meetings, and ballot initiatives over surveillance contracts keep appearing.
Searching how to identify Flock cameras or what does a Flock camera look like? Here are the tell-tale features of the most common model, the Flock Falcon:
If you spot one that isn't on our map yet, you can add it to OpenStreetMap and it will appear here after the next nightly sync.
The camera itself only photographs vehicles at fixed points. Tracking happens in the database: every sighting (plate, location, timestamp) is stored and searchable. So a single camera records one moment, but the network of thousands connects them into movement patterns. Whether that constitutes "tracking" is exactly what courts, legislators and city councils are debating right now.
Transparency. When residents can see how many cameras operate on their streets and which intersections are covered, city council debates about surveillance contracts happen with real numbers on the table.
Yes — check the map or the near me page to see mapped locations along your routes. Note that coverage is incomplete: volunteer mapping documents most fixed cameras, but mobile units and unmapped devices won't appear.
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