Flock Safety operates the largest automated license plate reader (ALPR) network in the United States — and it's watching you right now.
Every time you drive past a Flock camera, it captures a high-resolution photo of your vehicle, reads your license plate, and logs the exact time, date, and GPS location. But it doesn't stop there — according to Flock's own FAQ, their cameras use machine learning to extract far more than a traditional license plate reader.
This isn't speculation — this is what Flock advertises. The data is stored for 30 days or more, shared across thousands of agencies nationwide, and can be searched by any officer with access — often without a warrant.
What a Flock camera captures every time you drive past.
Over 80,000 Flock cameras are deployed across 5,000+ cities. Your movements are tracked whether you're a suspect or not. You were never asked. You were never told.
ALPR misreads have led to families being pulled over at gunpoint, handcuffed, and detained — because the system confused their plate with someone else's. It has happened dozens of documented times.
Police officers have used Flock cameras to stalk ex-partners, track personal enemies, and monitor people with no law enforcement justification. Audit logs are rarely reviewed.
Flock data has been accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies, raising serious concerns for immigrant communities and sanctuary cities.
Most cities adopt Flock cameras with little to no public debate, no privacy impact assessment, and no policy governing how the data is used, shared, or retained.
Flock's newest product, NOVA, goes beyond plates — it creates a "vehicle fingerprint" that can identify your car even without reading your plate. This is where it's headed.
StopFlockSafety exists to educate and inform on the dangers of mass surveillance dragnets operated without meaningful oversight or accountability. If what you read here concerns you — good. Channel that concern into civic action: attend city council meetings, write to your representatives, file public records requests, and make your voice heard through the democratic process.
This site advocates exclusively for lawful, nonviolent civic engagement. We do not encourage or condone vandalism, threats, or violence of any kind toward law enforcement, policymakers, or property.
Council rescinded contract after Flock misled officials on heat maps
Left Flock: Apr 2026“I don't know how I can make a decision or discern what's right and what's wrong, or even the capabilities of the system if you lie to me.”
— Deputy Mayor Karl Buelow
Mayor ended contract after months-long review; seeking alternatives
Left Flock: Apr 2026“This review made clear that if this tool is used, it must be used under narrow parameters, strong accountability, and clear public safeguards.”
— Mayor Kerry Thomson
Year-long controversy over ICE access to Flock data; replaced by Axon
Left Flock: Feb 2026Police audit found ATF, Air Force, and GSA Inspector General accessed data without authorization
Left Flock: Feb 2026Flock installed cameras without city awareness after Council suspended the system
Left Flock: Dec 202510-camera pilot expired and was not renewed; Chief publicly rebuked Flock CEO
Left Flock: Oct 2025“People have a right to disagree... That's how Democracy works.”
— Chief Michael Kochis
Flock shared data with CBP in violation of Illinois law; city called breach 'intentional and unauthorized'
Left Flock: Aug 2025Over 30 community groups pressured city council; audit found 20%+ of searches lacked documentation
Left Flock: Jun 2025Privacy concerns and lack of independent oversight
Left Flock: Aug 2023“We believe our residents deserve to know they aren't being tracked every time they drive through our town.”
— Chief Ronald Smith
Governor Tina Kotek signed Oregon SB 1516 on March 31, 2026 with an emergency clause making it immediately effective. The law caps ALPR data retention at 30 days, bars vendors from selling or disclosing plate data, requires monthly audits published within two days, mandates visual plate confirmation before stops, and authorizes private civil actions against vendors for misuse.
The Iowa House approved SF 2284 in April 2026, requiring ALPR systems to be authorized by city or county ordinance, approved by a state agency, and barred from facial-recognition use. The bill requires deletion of images after 30 days absent an active investigation and mandates officers document reasons for each search, though ACLU of Iowa and critics say it fails to regulate private vendors like Flock.
Oshkosh's Common Council voted 7-0 to rescind its Flock contract one day after approving renewal, after Police Chief Dean Smith determined Flock representatives had falsely denied the system creates vehicle heat maps. Deputy Mayor Karl Buelow apologized publicly, and Flock dismissed the reversal as reaction to 'one small misconception.'
A deep investigation reveals Menasha Police hired Cristian Morales just eight months after Outagamie County Sheriff's Department forced him out for 'unacceptable progress,' citing dangerous traffic stops. Morales was arrested in January 2026 for using Flock to stalk his ex-girlfriend's vehicles and now faces felony misconduct charges. The Badger Project frames the case within research on 'wandering officers' and explores the city's potential civil liability.
Colorado's bipartisan SB 70, sponsored by Sen. Judy Amabile (D) and Sen. Lynda Zamora Wilson (R), would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant to query ALPR databases more than 72 hours after a crime, cap retention at 30 days, and bar sharing with outside jurisdictions. The bill advanced to Senate Appropriations in April after five hours of testimony from roughly 70 speakers.
The New Civil Liberties Alliance filed an amicus brief in Schmidt v. City of Norfolk at the Fourth Circuit, arguing the district court misread Carpenter v. United States when it upheld Norfolk's warrantless Flock ALPR system. NCLA contends the city's indiscriminate collection of time- and date-stamped data on every driver enables reconstruction of private life patterns in violation of the Fourth Amendment.