Flock Camera Map: How to Find Flock Safety Cameras in Your Area

In late 2024, a data visualisation posted to r/MapPorn showed 110,000 Flock Safety cameras plotted across the United States. The post went viral, generating tens of thousands of upvotes and comments. For most people who saw it, it was the first time they understood the actual scale of automated license plate reader (ALPR) camera deployment in American communities. This article explains what the map shows, where the underlying data comes from, and how you can check camera coverage in your area.

What did the 110,000 camera Flock map show?

The Reddit post mapped confirmed Flock Safety camera locations across the United States using data aggregated from public records, FOIA requests, and crowdsourced community reports. The resulting map showed camera clusters concentrated in:

• Suburban neighbourhoods — particularly HOA-managed communities where Flock sells directly to homeowner associations rather than only to police departments
• School district perimeters — many school districts have contracted Flock for campus entry monitoring
• Major arterial roads and highway on/off ramps — where law enforcement agencies have placed cameras to capture high vehicle volumes
• Retail areas and shopping centres — business improvement districts that have subscribed to the service

The map generated significant discussion because many viewers realised they lived within range of multiple cameras they had never noticed — and that their vehicle’s movements in and out of their neighbourhood were being logged and stored.

Where does the Flock camera location data come from?

Flock Safety does not publish an official public map of camera locations. The data used in community maps comes from several sources:

• FOIA requests: Public records requests to law enforcement agencies reveal camera locations, contract details, and data retention policies. Journalists and privacy advocates have filed hundreds of these requests across US states.
• HOA and community notices: Homeowner associations that install Flock cameras frequently announce their deployment in community newsletters, meeting minutes, or website postings — which are indexed by search engines.
• Crowdsourced reporting: Projects like the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Street Level Surveillance” database collect community-submitted sightings of ALPR cameras. Anyone who identifies and photographs a camera can submit its location.
• Commercial mapping: Some researchers have used satellite and street-level imagery analysis to identify the distinctive Flock camera housing at scale.

Is there an official Flock camera map I can search?

No. Flock Safety does not provide a public-facing map of camera locations. The company’s position is that publishing exact camera locations would reduce their deterrent effect and potentially assist vehicle thieves in routing around coverage areas.

For finding cameras in your area, the most reliable non-official resources are:

• EFF Atlas of Surveillance (atlasofsurveillance.org): A searchable database of surveillance technology deployed by law enforcement agencies across the US, including ALPR systems. Searchable by city and state.
• Local government agendas and meeting minutes: Most US cities and counties publish meeting agendas online. Searching “[your city] Flock Safety” in a government document search often reveals contract approvals and camera count data.
• Physical identification: Flock Safety cameras are a distinctive white rectangular housing, typically 20–30cm tall, mounted on poles at road level. A solar panel is often visible. Once you know what to look for, they are identifiable by sight in most neighbourhoods that have them.

How many Flock cameras are there and how fast is the network growing?

As of 2025, Flock Safety has publicly stated that its network includes over 5,000 law enforcement agency customers across the United States. The total camera count including private subscribers (HOAs, schools, businesses) has been estimated in independent analyses at over 150,000 units, up from the approximately 110,000 shown in the viral 2024 map.

The network is growing rapidly for several reasons:

• Flock’s subscription model has a low entry price relative to installing a full CCTV system — a single camera costs approximately $2,500–$3,500 per year
• Many US states have passed legislation allowing or encouraging ALPR deployment for vehicle recovery and crime investigation
• HOAs and private communities can subscribe without involving law enforcement, creating a parallel private network that shares data with police by agreement
• The 30-day default data retention allows agencies to argue the system is privacy-protective while still providing useful investigative data

What does Flock camera coverage mean for your privacy?

If you live in a US neighbourhood served by Flock cameras — which the viral map suggested includes a substantial proportion of suburban America — your vehicle’s movements are recorded every time you enter or leave the area. This data is held for 30 days by default and is searchable by subscribing agencies.

This does not mean you are under active surveillance. Flock data is passive — it is stored and searchable, but no analyst is watching your movements in real time. The privacy concern is the potential for retrospective investigation: if something happens in your neighbourhood, investigators can query who was in the area and when, with no prior suspicion required to run the query.

The ACLU and EFF argue this constitutes a form of mass surveillance that normalises tracking of innocent civilians. Flock Safety argues it is an objective, efficient tool that removes human bias from vehicle monitoring and has directly contributed to solving thousands of serious crimes.

FAQ

Can I find a Flock camera map online?

There is no official public Flock Safety camera map. The most comprehensive unofficial resource is the EFF Atlas of Surveillance at atlasofsurveillance.org, which covers ALPR and other surveillance technology across US jurisdictions. The r/MapPorn post that went viral in 2024 was a one-time visualisation based on aggregated public records data; no live updating version of that specific map is publicly maintained.

Can I opt out of Flock camera recording?

No opt-out mechanism exists for recording on public roads in the United States. Any vehicle visible from a public road can be photographed by a roadside ALPR camera. The only form of recourse is legislative — several US states have passed or are considering bills limiting ALPR data retention periods, restricting which agencies can access the data, and requiring annual transparency reports from agencies using the technology.

Do Flock cameras exist outside the United States?

Flock Safety operates primarily in the United States. The UK and EU have their own ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) infrastructure operated by police forces under different regulatory frameworks. The UK’s ANPR network is managed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and governed by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, with stricter data retention rules than many US Flock deployments.

For more context on ALPR surveillance technology, privacy implications, and the difference between public surveillance networks and personal security equipment, see our full Flock Safety camera guide. For personal security cameras that keep footage under your own control, visit the Gamme QZT Security.