6 min readUpdated July 2026By Flock Alert Research Team
A Flock Safety camera is an automated license plate reader (ALPR) - a small, usually solar-powered camera mounted near a road or neighborhood entrance that photographs every passing vehicle and records its license plate, the time, the location, and details like color and make. Flock Safety is the largest private company deploying these cameras across the US; the data is stored in a searchable database that participating agencies can query.
How Flock Cameras Work
A single camera can log thousands of vehicles a day. The process happens in four steps:
Capture: photographs the car and plate as it passes.
Read: software converts the plate image to text.
Log: plate, timestamp, location, and a vehicle fingerprint (color, make, body type, distinguishing features) are stored.
Search: the record is added to a database searchable across a nationwide network.
What a Flock Camera Records About You
When your car passes a Flock camera, the system records:
your license plate number;
the exact time and location you passed;
a photo of your vehicle;
a vehicle fingerprint.
It does not by itself capture the driver's face or the registered owner, but a plate can be tied to a person via other databases.
Why People Are Concerned
ALPR cameras log everyone's movements, not just suspects, and in many places no warrant is required to place them or search the data. Civil-liberties groups such as the EFF and ACLU argue this creates a searchable record of where ordinary people go.
How to See the Flock Cameras Near You
Flock Alert is a free iPhone app that maps documented ALPR and Flock cameras across the US and alerts you in real time as you approach one. Download it to see exactly which cameras are on your routes and get a proximity alert before you pass one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Flock cameras always recording? They capture a still image of each vehicle rather than continuous video, but in practice log every car around the clock.
Can I opt out of Flock cameras? Flock offers a personal opt-out request, though coverage varies; awareness of where the cameras are is the most reliable first step.
How many Flock cameras are there? Tens of thousands are documented across US cities - see counts on the Cameras by City pages.
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Flock Alert Research Team
Independent privacy researchers documenting ALPR surveillance. Read more about our mission.
Download Flock Alert to see every documented ALPR and Flock Safety camera near you, get real-time proximity alerts, and plan surveillance-free routes. Free, no ads, no account required.