Imagine a system so pervasive it tracks your car’s journey, recording each turn you take, all without your knowledge. This is the reality of a nationwide surveillance network quietly observing drivers as they navigate their daily routines.
In the United States, over 117,000 automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are currently operational, raising alarms among privacy advocates who believe these devices compile a searchable log of individuals’ movements.
Positioned along roadsides, these cameras capture images of passing cars, documenting their license plates, locations, and exact times of transit. This data can piece together a comprehensive account of a vehicle’s travels.
Law enforcement defends the use of ALPR technology, citing its effectiveness in recovering stolen vehicles and apprehending suspects. However, civil liberties organizations contend that it also entangles innocent drivers, allowing for warrantless tracking of their movements.
DeFlock has developed an interactive map highlighting the spread of these surveillance devices, enabling you to check if they’re monitoring areas close to your home.
California emerged as one of the country’s most heavily monitored states, with more than 16,000 readers documented along major roads, at intersections and on routes leading into populated areas.
Florida followed with 7,169 cameras, Georgia with 7,046 and Illinois with 5,822.
However, those figures provide only a snapshot rather than a complete inventory, meaning the true scale of America’s license plate surveillance network may be larger.
Flock Safety devices account for 97,077 of the documented cameras, nearly 83 percent of the map’s total of 117,256. Overall, the database includes cameras associated with 85 brands.
Flock cameras have been hit with controversy, as many believe the cameras are mass surveillance. However, the company has said otherwise
DeFlock is an open-source project that compiles camera locations submitted by members of the public and drawn from sources including OpenStreetMap.
However, its database is crowdsourced and does not include every operating reader, meaning areas with more active contributors may appear more heavily monitored than places where fewer cameras have been reported.
Garrett Langley, CEO and co-founder of Flock Safety, said in a previous statement: ‘I take nothing more seriously than the values we built this company upon, to give cities tools to uphold public safety, while enabling accountability and transparency.
‘Public safety does not need to come at the expense of community values.’
The company has also noted that its ALPRs ‘are not mass surveillance tools.’
‘They capture point-in-time images of license plates on public roadways and cannot track people or vehicles over time. Most data is never accessed and is deleted on a set retention schedule,’ Flock Safety shared in a blog post.
‘Reviews citing concerns (e.g., protest-related searches or inappropriate search terms) reflect isolated instances across thousands of agencies and millions of searches, not evidence of widespread, systemic monitoring or bias built into the technology.’
Denver city officials said Flock readers had helped police make 352 arrests, recover more than 250 stolen vehicles and seize 39 firearms since a pilot program began in early 2024.
In Houston, Texas, locals are vandalizing cameras
California emerged as one of the country’s most heavily mapped states, with more than 16,000 readers documented along major roads, intersections and routes leading into populated communities
Flock Safety dominates the database, accounting for 97,077 of the documented cameras, nearly 83 percent of the total 1117,256. In total, the map contained cameras associated with 85 brands
The cameras also reportedly helped officers capture suspects in cases involving murder, sexual assault and fatal hit-and-runs, according to the city.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said individuals suspected of serious crimes could have remained free without the technology.
Unlike traditional speed or red-light cameras, ALPRs can scan every vehicle passing through their field of view, regardless of whether the driver is suspected of committing a crime.
Flock’s readers convert the images into searchable records that can include a vehicle’s license plate, make, model, color and distinguishing features, along with the time and location it was photographed.
The technology is promoted as a tool for finding stolen vehicles, locating missing people and helping police identify criminal suspects. However, critics claim that it can also be exploited for more intrusive and potentially abusive forms of surveillance.
Concerns have intensified following allegations that officers used the system to monitor former partners, documented cases in which incorrect alerts led to innocent motorists being detained and audits showing that outside agencies searched locally collected records for immigration-related investigations.
The company says information is deleted after 30 days by default, although retention periods can vary under local contracts and state laws. Flock also maintains that its customers control access to their information and that searches are logged and can be audited.
However, a growing number of American communities are imposing restrictions on the technology or abandoning the company altogether.
The American Civil Liberties Union said in June that more than 55 communities had ended Flock contracts during the previous year, citing fears that the technology could enable warrantless surveillance, federal access to locally collected records and searches without sufficient municipal oversight.
While those concerns do not mean such misuse occurred in every community, investigations have documented cases in which outside agencies accessed locally collected information for purposes that officials said violated their policies.
In response to pushback, Langley has described criticisms as coordinated attacks from ‘activist groups’ aiming to ‘defund the police’ and ‘normalize lawlessness.’
The Los Angeles Police Department did not renew its contract covering 138 pole-mounted cameras when it expired in July, citing unresolved concerns about civil liberties, data ownership, security and information sharing.
However, the department is reportedly negotiating revised terms with Flock, meaning the move could be a temporary pause rather than a permanent departure.
Flock has disputed what it calls ‘misconceptions’ driving the opposition and said it remains committed to transparency.
Dayton, Ohio, canceled its agreement and began covering 72 cameras with black trash bags after a review uncovered more than 7,000 immigration-related searches by outside entities, Dayton Daily News reported.
City officials described the searches as ‘egregious violations’ of Dayton’s policy prohibiting the system from being used for immigration enforcement.
Eugene, Oregon, deactivated 57 cameras following public opposition and fears that federal agencies could use the information for immigration enforcement or to monitor activists and vulnerable communities.
The Eugene Police Department (EPD) said in a statement: ‘The department has identified vulnerabilities and limitations that raise concerns about the system’s ability to meet EPD’s operational needs, data security requirements, and community expectations.
Flock Safety has noted that its ALPRs ‘are not mass surveillance tools’
‘After further evaluation and internal discussion, the department has decided to discontinue the contract.’
Syracuse, New York, removed 13 readers over concerns that personal information could be collected and inappropriately shared.
However, the city has moved toward another license plate-reader provider rather than abandoning the technology completely.
Officials in Troy, New York, took a different approach, reaching an agreement in May to restrict how the city can use its Flock cameras following weeks of political wrangling.
Mayor Carmella Mantello and City Council President Sue Steele finalized the policy after a 60-day negotiation period.
Under the new rules, license plate information can only be shared with outside agencies on a case-by-case basis, while use of the cameras for immigration enforcement is expressly prohibited.
The agreement also requires annual audits of Troy’s program, with reports submitted to the mayor and City Council to provide greater oversight and transparency.
In California, Mountain View shut down its Flock network after discovering that several federal agencies had accessed vehicle information without the city’s authorization.
Santa Cruz and Los Altos Hills also ended their agreements amid concerns about immigration enforcement, cross-agency searches and whether officials could retain meaningful control over information collected from local drivers.
Cambridge, Massachusetts, terminated its contract after Flock technicians installed two cameras without the city’s knowledge, weeks after officials had deactivated and removed 16 readers.
The city called the unauthorized installation a ‘material breach’ of trust.
Brooklyn Park and Columbia Heights, Minnesota, also ended their agreements following concerns about data access, with residents expressing fears that locally collected records could potentially be obtained by federal immigration authorities.
In Connecticut, Windsor shut down its readers over privacy, data security and previous access by federal and out-of-state agencies.
Killingworth later followed, citing public opposition, costs and what it said was evidence that its four cameras had provided little value to local policing.
The Daily Mail has contacted Flock Safety for comment.