Flock cameras have been all over the news and social media this summer. The controversial automated license plate reading (ALPR) devices are placed all over the country—including right here in New Jersey. Now, residents can check if law enforcement has ever looked up their plates in the Flock database.
Have I Been Flocked lets drivers check whether their license plate has been searched in Flock Safety’s system. The platform is built from Flock audit logs, obtained through public-records requests via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Using the tool, drivers can look up their license plate number. Results will show if it’s been searched, when, and the stated reason for the search when available.
A positive search result doesn’t necessarily mean there is an ongoing investigation, according to Patch. Furthermore, it isn’t always a police officer conducting the search—other authorized personnel have access to the Flock systems.
It’s important to note that Have I Been Flocked only shows whether your plate has been searched in the Flock database—it does not show whether you passed a camera, or when.
The platform works by drawing on records requests sent to 6,586 agencies nationwide. However, the website admits the “dataset is incomplete.” Access to logs is limited, and obtained records are often redacted.
Flock Cameras in New Jersey
Flock Safety operates 120,000+ AI-powered cameras nationwide. There are 1,539 reported license-plate-reader cameras right here in New Jersey. And the pushback is real. Across the state, groups are organizing to protest the presence of Flock cameras. In Camden County, a group called DeFlock South Jersey has formed to push for the removal of Flock cameras.
Volunteers from across the nation built a crowdsourced map of where Flock cameras have been identified. You can check that out here—New Jersey has quite a few.
Opposition to Flock is widespread on social media—and some of it has materialized on the ground. Patch reported that a Brick Township resident “cut through the metal pole supporting a Flock license-plate reader” on July 8. A Milford man is being accused of vandalizing four city-owned Flock cameras.
As the conversation around Flock evolves at breakneck speed, concerned citizens now have another tool at their disposal. Have I Been Flocked allows New Jersey drivers to look up whether their plates have ever been searched in the camera database.
You can read about the website’s sourcing, methodology, and more here.
Lifelong Jersey resident and Rutgers and FDU alumnus, Tom La Vecchia is publisher of New Jersey Digest, one of the state’s leading lifestyle media brands. When he’s not growing the Digest, he’s raising four kids, wrangling four cats and pretending it’s all under control. His mission: keep Jersey interesting and impossible to ignore.
