Flock Camera Locations
Open map

What does a Flock camera look like?

Once you know the silhouette, you will start seeing them everywhere: a small black camera on a skinny pole, topped with a solar panel, standing alone near an intersection or entrance.

What a Flock camera looks like: a black Flock Safety ALPR camera mounted on a dark pole with a solar panel behind it
The classic Flock camera setup: compact black camera, mounting bands, and a solar panel — this is what to look for.

The three-part silhouette

  • The camera: a compact black or dark-gray unit about the size of a large coffee mug, angled down the road to face oncoming traffic.
  • The solar panel: a small rectangular panel mounted at the top of the pole, tilted toward the sun. This is the most recognizable giveaway — regular traffic cameras rarely have one.
  • The pole: a thin, dedicated pole, typically 8–12 feet tall — shorter than streetlights — often planted in a grass strip, median, or roadside right-of-way.
Close-up of a Flock Safety license plate reader camera on a wooden pole, showing the hooded lens and infrared illuminator
Up close: the hooded lens and IR illuminator. The small bird logo on the housing is the giveaway that it’s a Flock unit.

Where to look

Flock cameras are positioned to photograph the rear of vehicles, so they usually face away from the traffic they record. Common spots include:

  • Neighborhood and HOA entrances, just inside the entry road
  • Major intersections and highway on/off ramps at city limits
  • Retail parking lot exits and shopping center driveways
  • School, park, and municipal building entrances

What they are not

Flock ALPRs are easy to confuse with other roadside equipment. They are not the large gray boxes that flash for red-light or speed enforcement, not the dome or bullet cameras on traffic signal mast arms, and not utility monitoring gear. If you see a small camera and a solar panel sharing a short standalone pole, it is very likely an ALPR — check the live map to see whether it has already been reported.

See the cameras for yourself

Open the live Flock camera map, check cameras near you, or browse locations by state.

Keep reading

Common questions

What color are Flock cameras?

The camera unit is usually black or dark gray, mounted on a plain galvanized-steel or black pole. The solar panel above it is dark blue-black with a silver frame.

How tall are the poles Flock cameras sit on?

Most standalone installations put the camera roughly 8 to 12 feet up — high enough to clear traffic but noticeably shorter than streetlights and utility poles, which is one of the easiest ways to pick them out.

Do Flock cameras have lights on them?

Some models use a small infrared illuminator for nighttime capture. It is not visible as a bright light, though a faint red glow can sometimes be seen up close at night.

Are Flock cameras hidden?

No — they are installed in plain view on public roads, which is why volunteers can legally document them. They are easy to miss simply because they are small and look like generic utility equipment.