Short answer: Flock cameras are built around license plate capture, but many deployments are
configured to also record short video clips around plate events. Whether continuous recording is enabled
is set by the agency — it's not a fixed "yes" or "no."
What's standard vs. what's configured
- Standard operation: the camera reads a plate, logs the timestamp and location, and checks the plate against databases. That's the product's core.
- Common add-on: short clips around the moment a plate is read (useful for investigating incidents).
- Agency choice: whether a feed is continuously recorded or streamed is a configuration and policy decision made by the customer — a police department, a city, or even a homeowners association.
This matters because it means two cities can have the "same" Flock system with very different privacy profiles. Community guides like Police Pathfinder's explainer and Yahoo Tech's technical walkthrough break down how plate capture and video features fit together.
How to find out what your local setup records
- Ask your local police department directly — most will tell you their retention and recording policy.
- File a public records (FOIA) request for the ALPR policy or the contract with Flock Safety.
- Check city council minutes — Flock contracts and policies are usually approved in open meetings.
- Look up your state's ALPR data-retention rules on our state legality board.
Remember: what's recorded is only half the story. The bigger question is how long the data is kept
and who can access it — that's governed by local policy and state law, and it varies widely.
Related questions
Do Flock cameras track speed?
No — they're plate readers, not speed cameras. Full answer →
Can Flock cameras read my license plate?
Yes — reading plates is the entire point of the system. Full answer →