// OPEN_SOURCE ALPR TRANSPARENCY
STATUS: ONLINE
Every marker is evidence-backed, status-labeled, & source-linked.
0
Agencies mapped
0
States covered
0
Cameras marked
FlockRadar documents publicly disclosed ALPR and Flock Safety deployments across the United States. In addition to crowd-sourced sighting reports, every point on our map is tied directly to a verifiable public record: a contract, council agenda, policy document, or official disclosure.
// KNOW THE TECHNOLOGY
What is ALPR?
License plate reader cameras, often called ALPR, photograph every plate that drives past and save the time and place of each capture. They sit on roadsides, on police cruisers, and on bridges. Across the United States they record millions of plates every day.
What they are
These cameras photograph every plate that goes by, not just cars on a watch list. Each capture saves the plate, a photo, the time, and the exact spot. Over time that builds a searchable record of where cars, and the people in them, have been.
Their stated goal
Companies sell these cameras as a crime-fighting tool: recover stolen cars, catch wanted drivers, solve hit-and-runs, and speed up AMBER Alerts by flagging plates as they pass.
Legitimate uses
Finding stolen cars and missing children is the legitimate core. A plate on a watch list sets off an instant alert. The problem is what happens to every other plate the cameras capture, and who gets to search that data later.
// DOCUMENTED, NOT HYPOTHETICAL
Real cases of abuse
Former Brunswick County sheriff’s lieutenant arrested in alleged computer, ALPR misuse
LRPD investigating officer for 28 searches of same plate in Flock camera system misuse
California lawmaker seeks criminal penalties for misuse of license plate reader data
// WHY IT MATTERS
Privacy concerns for Americans
Mass collection without suspicion
These cameras record every car that passes. No warrant, no suspicion, no reason at all. If you drive, your plate is in the database.
A map of your life
Your plate shows where you live, where you work, where you go to church or the doctor. Over months, those records draw a map of your daily life and the people you see.
Shared across agencies
Camera companies share plate data across city lines, state lines, and even with federal agencies. One camera in your town feeds databases all over the country.
No federal rules
No federal law controls how long plate data is kept or who can search it. Whether your town keeps records for 30 days or 30 years depends on local policy.
That's why FlockRadar exists: to show which agencies run these cameras, what they tell the public, and what the records actually say. Explore the map.
// WHY FLOCKRADAR
Every point comes from a public record
Source-First
Every entry links to the public record behind it: a council agenda, a contract, a policy, or an official announcement.
We Show What We Know
We mark when we know the exact camera location and when we only know a program exists. No public record found does not mean no cameras.
Open and Correctable
Anyone can submit a tip, ask for a correction, or download the data. These records belong to you.
See what's been disclosed near you
Every point on the map links to a public record you can read. See what your town has deployed, check the sources, and tell us when something looks wrong.