This free tool shows whether police near you use Flock cameras

One of its most useful bits of information is its coverage of Flock Safety cameras. These automated license plate readers photograph passing vehicles and record plate information that police can use in investigations. Flock cameras have also become a flashpoint for privacy advocates, with critics raising concerns about police misuse, widespread sharing of license-plate data between agencies, and their potential use in immigration enforcement and other sensitive investigations.

To see if Flock cameras are used near you, enter your city, county, state, or local police agency into the Atlas search box. You can then filter the results to “Automated License Plate Readers” or sort by “Flock Safety” as the vendor.

You can click on each individual result to get more information. Each entry can tell you which agency uses the cameras, when they were adopted, and sometimes how many are in service. Each entry also links back to sources such as government records and news reports, so you can dig deeper.

It’s important to know, though, that Atlas tracks deployments by police agencies, not necessarily the exact location of every camera pole. Still, it’s an easy way to get a better idea of how much surveillance tech is being used in your area.

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