What are Flock cameras?

Flock cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) made by Flock Safety. They photograph passing vehicles, read the plate and log the time and place, so police and other customers can get alerts and search past sightings. Volunteers have mapped 114,828 of them in OpenStreetMap so far, 80% of all 144,253 mapped US plate readers.

Updated November 5, 2026 · Sources linked below

What a Flock camera does

Flock Safety describes its LPR camera as one that "works 24/7 to capture license plates of vehicles that enter your neighborhood". It helps police in two ways: it sends an alert when a hot-listed vehicle (stolen, linked to a wanted person, or a missing person) drives by, and it creates searchable evidence after a crime (Flock). Buyers include police departments, cities, homeowners' associations and businesses (EFF, NCSL).

What Flock cameras record

• Plate number, date, time and location of every vehicle that passes in view. That's the core of any ALPR (EFF).
• A photo of the vehicle. EFF notes that ALPR photos in general can also show drivers, passengers and surroundings (EFF).
• "Vehicle Fingerprint" attributes. Flock's own definition covers type, make, color, state registration, missing or covered plates, bumper stickers, decals, roof racks and bike racks (Flock master services agreement). One city FAQ also lists body type and temporary-vs-standard plates (Tukwila FAQ).

Flock says its LPR cameras capture vehicle data only and don't use facial recognition (Tukwila FAQ), and that its system "intentionally does not include vehicle registration data" (Flock). Police can still link a plate to an owner through other databases, which is true of any ALPR (EFF).

What Flock cameras look like

Most are small, dark, rectangular cameras pointed at a lane of traffic. Where mappers recorded how Flock-tagged cameras are mounted (32,547 cameras), the breakdown is: poles 78%, street lights 8%, post 6%. DeFlock keeps a photo guide to identifying ALPRs, Flock models included.

How long Flock keeps the data

Flock's standard contract deleted footage on a rolling 30-day basis unless the customer's order form said otherwise (Flock agreement). Flock now says it recommends a 7-day default, with an "Evidence Mode" that preserves specific data for active investigations. Existing customers keep their current settings (Flock). State law can override either: NCSL lists retention limits from three minutes in New Hampshire to five years in Alabama, and three years for Colorado's government "passive surveillance" records (NCSL).

Who can search it

Flock says its customers own the data and decide who can access it, that every search requires a reason, and that access is logged (Flock, Caldwell FAQ). In practice agencies often share with many others: EFF notes that law enforcement agencies "can choose to share their information with thousands of other agencies" (EFF). At least 16 states now regulate how ALPR data can be shared (NCSL). Some cities publish a Flock "transparency portal" showing their sharing list and retention (Caldwell FAQ).

Flock vs. other license plate readers

Flock is one ALPR vendor among several. EFF names Motorola Solutions' Vigilant, Rekor, Elsag, Axon, Perceptics and Jenoptik (EFF). In our snapshot the most-tagged manufacturers after Flock are Motorola Solutions, Genetec, Axis Communications and Leonardo. ALPRs are also different from red-light and speed cameras, which enforce traffic rules (NCSL). Our map shows those as a separate layer.

Is my car being tracked by Flock cameras?

If you drive past a working ALPR, assume your plate was read: these systems capture every plate that comes into view (EFF). Whether anyone ever searches for your plate is something only the operator knows. Neither we nor anyone outside the agency can see that. What you can see is roughly how many mapped readers sit on a given drive. Run a route check or browse a city map.

Can you avoid them?

Not legally, if you drive. States require plates to be displayed in public view (EFF). Don't cover or alter your plate. Vehicle codes require plates to be visible and legible, and we never promote anything that obscures them. What actually changes things is policy: ask your city for its ALPR policy, retention period and sharing list, show up when contracts are voted on, and help map cameras on DeFlock. Our records-request guide has a template.