AI-Powered Mass
Surveillance on Every Road
Flock Safety is an Atlanta-based company founded in 2017 that makes AI-powered Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). As of 2026, their cameras are deployed in 4,000+ US cities and used by 3,000+ law enforcement agencies — with over 85,000 cameras nationwide and growing.
They look like small black rectangular boxes mounted on poles, neighborhood entrance signs, highway overpasses, and traffic lights. No warning signs. No flashing lights. Just a quiet, always-on AI system scanning every vehicle that passes.
How they work
Each camera uses infrared imaging and AI to capture and process every passing vehicle in real time. The data is instantly uploaded to Flock's cloud platform — Falcon — where it's stored, indexed, and made searchable by any of the 3,000+ agencies on the network.
A police officer in Michigan can search for a vehicle's movements across the entire national network — including cameras in Texas, California, or Florida — without a warrant, without probable cause, and in seconds.
"We are fast approaching a world in which going about one's business in public means being entered into a law enforcement database."
— American Civil Liberties Union, 2025
The scale of the network
| Metric | Number | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total US cameras | 85,174+ | Growing daily |
| Cities with coverage | 4,000+ | All 50 states |
| Law enforcement agencies | 3,000+ | Police, sheriff, state patrol |
| Warrants required | 0 | No legal process needed |
| Data retention | 30+ days | Can be longer by agency |
| Scans per camera per day | ~10,000 | Estimate based on traffic |
It's Not Just
Your License Plate
Flock's marketing describes their product as a "license plate reader." That's technically accurate but deeply misleading. Their system builds a comprehensive AI Vehicle Fingerprint — a detailed profile of your vehicle that can identify it even without a readable plate.
Convoy Analysis — the hidden feature
Beyond individual vehicle tracking, Flock's Convoy Analysis feature automatically identifies vehicles that frequently appear near each other. The system flags these vehicles as potential associates — even if they've never interacted and are simply neighbors who drive the same roads.
If you regularly commute near someone under investigation, you may be flagged as an associate in the Flock database. No crime. No suspicion. Just proximity.
What happens to your data
Flock states that data is deleted after 30 days by default. However, individual agencies can configure longer retention periods, and there is no federal law limiting how long ALPR data can be kept. Some jurisdictions have been found storing data for 6 months, a year, or indefinitely.
Once in the system, your movement history is searchable by any officer at any agency on the network — with no requirement to document why they searched, no warrant, and no notification to you.
The Fourth Amendment
Under Surveillance
The Fourth Amendment protects Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures. The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the government needs a warrant for intrusive surveillance. But Flock cameras operate in a legal gray zone — one that courts and lawmakers are only beginning to address.
What courts have said
In 2024, a Virginia trial court held that the Flock network in one city functioned as a "dragnet over the entire city" — comparing it to placing GPS trackers on every vehicle. The Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Jones (2012) that long-term GPS tracking of a vehicle requires a warrant.
Despite this, the Flock network has continued to expand — because the legal question of whether networked ALPR data constitutes the same kind of intrusion as a physical GPS tracker has not yet been definitively resolved by the Supreme Court.
"Automatic license plate readers are becoming tools for routine mass location tracking with too few rules governing their use."
— ACLU, 2025
The "third party doctrine" problem
Law enforcement has traditionally argued that information "exposed to the public" — including your car's license plate, which is visible on public roads — has no Fourth Amendment protection under the "third party doctrine." Courts have used this reasoning to allow ALPR data collection without warrants.
But critics argue this reasoning fails when applied to comprehensive, longitudinal location tracking. There's a meaningful difference between a police officer seeing your car once and a network of 85,000 cameras building a month-long record of every road you've driven.
These Are Only the
Cases We Know About
Flock Safety has declined to disclose how many times their system has been misused by officers. The following cases are publicly documented — meaning they were discovered, investigated, and reported. The actual number of misuse incidents is almost certainly higher.
Kechi, Kansas — Lieutenant stalks estranged wife
A police lieutenant in Kechi used Wichita PD's Flock cameras to track his estranged wife after she reported feeling followed. He accessed the system repeatedly using false justifications. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation — the first publicly documented case of Flock misuse.
Sedgwick, Kansas — Police chief stalks ex-girlfriend 228 times
Chief Lee Nygaard used Flock cameras 164 times to track his ex-girlfriend and 64 times to track her new boyfriend — 228 total searches over four months. He logged fake reasons including "missing child," "drug investigation," and "suspicious activity." He resigned, lost his police certification, and faced no criminal charges.
North Charleston, SC — Lieutenant monitors wife he suspected of affair
Lt. Ryan Terrell admitted to using city-owned surveillance cameras to monitor his wife whom he suspected was having an affair. He was not fired — only demoted.
Nationwide — Agencies searched racist phrases into ALPR databases
ACLU investigation found more than 80 law enforcement agencies searched racially derogatory phrases into ALPR databases to locate people — primarily targeting the Romani population. Officers in Sioux City, Iowa searched phrases including "Traveling Romanian Theft Group."
Braselton, Georgia — Police chief arrested for stalking citizens
Chief Michael Steffman was arrested for allegedly using ALPR systems to stalk and harass multiple private citizens who were not under investigation for any crime.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Officer tracks girlfriend and her ex 100+ times
Officer Josue Ayala was charged with misconduct after investigators found he used Flock while on duty to monitor his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend over 100 times. He was caught because Flock's audit logs recorded every search — the same surveillance system used to catch him.
Practical Steps
You Can Take Today
You can't opt out of the Flock network. But you can make informed choices about how you move through it.
Use UnFlocked
Our free camera map shows you every known Flock camera in your area. UnFlocked Pro plans routes that avoid cameras entirely and alerts you in real time when you approach one. Open the free map →
Know the cameras in your area
Use our map to understand the surveillance density around your home, workplace, and regular routes. Knowing where cameras are is the first step to making informed choices about your route.
Support oversight legislation
Many states are considering ALPR oversight bills that would require warrants for long-term tracking, limit retention periods, and mandate public transparency. Contact your state representative and express support for ALPR reform.
Request your own data
Some jurisdictions allow you to submit public records requests for ALPR data associated with your vehicle. Have I Been Flocked (haveibeenflocked.com) compiles public audit logs that can show whether your plate has been searched.
Support privacy organizations
The EFF and ACLU are actively litigating and lobbying around ALPR surveillance. Their work creates the legal precedents that will ultimately determine the limits of this technology.
Start protecting your privacy.
Check the camera map for your city — then plan a route that avoids them.
Open the Free Map →