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How plate cameras work

A plain-English explainer. Every claim links to its source. Spot an error? Tell us.

What they capture

Automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras photograph vehicles that pass fixed locations. According to Newsweek's explainer, Flock's cameras record license plates and also details such as a vehicle's make, model, color and other distinguishing characteristics, and that information is uploaded to Flock's database.

Unlike traffic cameras, they aren't mainly for speeding tickets. Newsweek describes them as tools to identify vehicles linked to reported crimes and to locate them across a network spanning thousands of communities (source).

Who can search the data

Participating law-enforcement agencies can search the records for investigations, missing-person cases and stolen vehicles (Newsweek). How widely data is shared has become a flashpoint:

• Pflugerville, Texas voted to end its Flock agreement after learning hundreds of outside organizations had searched data from its cameras (Newsweek).
• Columbus, Ohio removed four ICE-linked agencies from its Flock network (Columbus Dispatch).
• Several communities canceled contracts over immigration-enforcement concerns (NPR).

How long it's kept

Retention depends on the vendor, the agency's policy, and state law. Flock has said it will shorten its default retention period from 30 days to seven days, and that agencies will be required to use auditing tools and tie searches to case numbers (Newsweek). Your local agency's actual policy is a public record you can request. Here's how.

What the law says

Courts have generally found that people have no reasonable expectation of privacy in information exposed to public view, and that recording a license plate isn't, by itself, a Fourth Amendment search. Privacy advocates argue persistent tracking of movements is different, and that question remains unresolved (Newsweek).

Some states regulate ALPRs directly. For example, Idaho Code § 49-1432 sets rules for government agencies' use of ALPR systems, including keeping records of searches and conducting audits.

Limits of what we show

• Our maps show only cameras that volunteers have reported on OpenStreetMap. Many cameras are unmapped, and some reports may be wrong or outdated.
• "Canceled" doesn't always mean camera-free. Some cities switched to other ALPR vendors (Newsweek).
• We're commentary and criticism, not a government or vendor source. See Sources & methodology.