What are Flock cameras?
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) made by Flock Safety. They photograph every car that passes and turn those images into a searchable record of where vehicles — and the people in them — have been.
What they look like
Typically a small black camera box, often topped with a solar panel, mounted on a slim metal pole or clipped to existing street signs and utility poles. You'll most often spot them at town entrances, major intersections, and near schools.
What they record
More than just a plate number. Each pass logs a timestamp and location plus a "vehicle fingerprint" — make, model, color, and visible features like bumper stickers, roof racks, or damage. Newer Flock products add video clips and AI-powered natural-language search across the footage.
How the network works
Individual cameras feed a national platform. Roughly 90,000 ALPR cameras have been mapped across the U.S., Flock works with 5,000+ agencies, and the system captures about 20 billion vehicle scans a month — which means a single search can reach far beyond the town that installed a given camera.
Why people want them banned
Because the same network built for "public safety" enables warrantless, dragnet tracking — and has been used to surveil protesters, abortion patients, and immigrants. Read the case for banning them, see whether they're legal, or find the ones near you.
Frequently asked questions
+ What are Flock cameras?
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) made by Flock Safety. They photograph every passing vehicle and record its license plate, plus details like make, color, and distinguishing features, then store and make that data searchable for law enforcement.
+ What do Flock cameras look like?
They're usually a small black camera box, often with a solar panel on top, mounted on a metal pole or attached to street signs and utility poles — frequently near town entrances, major intersections, and school zones.
+ What data do Flock cameras collect?
License plate number, a timestamp and location, and a 'vehicle fingerprint' — make, model, color, and visible features such as bumper stickers, roof racks, or damage. Newer systems can also capture video clips.
+ How many Flock cameras are there?
Roughly 90,000 ALPR cameras have been mapped across the U.S. by the crowdsourced DeFlock project. Flock says it works with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies and captures around 20 billion vehicle scans per month.