What is a Flock camera?

A Flock camera is an automated license plate reader [/blog/ai-license-plate-reader] made by Flock Safety. It photographs passing vehicles, reads their plates, and logs where and when each car was seen. Police departments and other customers can search those records.

How do I find Flock cameras near me?

Enter your zip code in the search bar above the map. The map zooms to your area and shows every camera in the dataset there. You can also zoom and pan to explore any neighborhood in the US.

Where does this map's data come from?

The data on the map above is a mirror of an inventory of Flock devices that security researcher Joshua Michael retrieved from Flock's own systems through an access token Flock had left exposed. Maps like DeFlock rely on volunteers reporting cameras they spot; this inventory comes from Flock's records.

Is this Flock camera map complete?

No. The data is a snapshot from December 2025. Devices installed or removed since then won't be reflected.

Use this Flock camera map to find the devices near you

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You have a right to know who's recording you when you leave home, especially when a private company controls the data and it's unclear how law enforcement uses that information. This map lets you search by ZIP code to see where Flock's license plate readers are located. Use it, make informed decisions about how you move through your own area and whether you need to reach out to your municipal leaders.

What a Flock camera records

A Flock camera photographs each vehicle that passes it, whether or not the driver is suspected of anything. It logs the plate, time, and location. Flock's Vehicle Fingerprint feature also records the make, model, and color, plus details like dents and bumper stickers, so a car can be found even without a readable plate.

Those records go into Flock's cloud, where police departments can search them and share them with other agencies across city and state lines. Flock says its network processes more than 20 billion vehicle reads a month across 49 states.

That kind of broad access leaves much room for misuse and abuse. A Washington Post review found at least 50 officers accused or charged with misusing license plate readers, often to follow people in their personal lives; Flock's system was involved in 46 of those cases. We asked Flock's CEO, Garrett Langley, how the company responds to misuse and who controls the data its devices collect.

Where the Flock map data comes from

The device locations on this Flock camera map come from independent research by cybersecurity researcher Joshua Michael(new window). We don't host or distribute the underlying dataset.

In November 2025, Michael found that Flock's servers publicly exposed an access token anyone could obtain without logging in. He reported the issue to Flock, then published his findings and his own map in December. His inventory lists more than 170,000 cameras and over 130,000 other Flock devices. Flock has publicly cited around 120,000 cameras, so the actual camera count is about 40% higher.

Frequently asked questions about the Flock camera map

What is a Flock camera?: A Flock camera is an automated license plate reader made by Flock Safety. It photographs passing vehicles, reads their plates, and logs where and when each car was seen. Police departments and other customers can search those records.
How do I find Flock cameras near me?: Enter your zip code in the search bar above the map. The map zooms to your area and shows every camera in the dataset there. You can also zoom and pan to explore any neighborhood in the US.
Where does this map's data come from?: The data on the map above is a mirror of an inventory of Flock devices that security researcher Joshua Michael retrieved from Flock's own systems through an access token Flock had left exposed. Maps like DeFlock rely on volunteers reporting cameras they spot; this inventory comes from Flock's records.
Is this Flock camera map complete?: No. The data is a snapshot from December 2025. Devices installed or removed since then won't be reflected.