How Does Raleigh Use Flock Cameras?

The City of Raleigh partners with Flock Safety as a tool to track down criminals and hold them accountable for their crimes.

Flock Safety is an automated license plate reader (ALPR) system that uses cameras to record basic vehicle information.

Did you know: Flock cameras capture less data than toll cameras. 

In 2025, Flock assisted Raleigh Police with:

• 176 leads generated in cases;
• 134 cases cleared, 92 by arrest;
• 87 stolen vehicles recovered;
• Six missing people located; and,
• $1.16 million in total value of property recovered with the assistance of Flock.

In the first half of 2026, Flock assisted Raleigh Police with:

• 130 leads generated in cases;
• 110 cases cleared, 83 by arrest;
• 67 recovered stolen vehicles;
• One missing person located; and,
• $624,571 in total value of property recovered with the assistance of Flock.

Flock FAQs

What Is required to search Flock? 

Raleigh Police Department policy requires that every license plate reader (LPR) search be conducted by a trained Raleigh Police Department employee and is tied to a legitimate law enforcement purpose and documented with a case number, a warrant number, a call-for-service dispatch number, or uniquely identifiable number. All user activity is subject to supervisory review and auditing. Misuse of the system is subject to discipline. The use and effectiveness of the LPR system is audited regularly, with the results reported to the Police Chief. These requirements ensure accountability and guard against improper use. 

RPD recognizes the concerns expressed by residents regarding privacy, transparency, and trust. The department remains committed to ensuring that public safety technologies are used responsibly, lawfully, and with meaningful oversight.

How Does RPD balance public safety with privacy and accountability? 

RPD recognizes that public safety technologies must be accompanied by meaningful privacy protections and accountability measures. RPD’s implementation reflects that balance by:  

• Deploying cameras only on public roadways where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy 
• Capturing only vehicle and license plate information rather than using other tools to monitor individuals through video or audio 
• Limiting access to authorized users 
• Requiring documented law enforcement justification for every search 
• Conducting regular audits 
• Automatically deleting RPD Flock data after 30 days unless preserved for a legitimate investigative purpose 
• Maintaining policies and procedures governing access, use, auditing, and retention. 

These safeguards are intended to ensure that license plate reader (LPR) technology remains a focused investigative tool.

What does Flock do? 

Flock is a public safety operating system that helps communities and law enforcement in more than 3,000 cities work together to eliminate crime, protect privacy, and mitigate bias.*

Who owns the data captured by Flock devices? 

Raleigh Police Department (RPD) owns all data stored using RPD Flock cameras. License plate reader (LPR) data collected through RPD's cameras is maintained for RPD's law enforcement purposes and is protected through multiple security measures. RPD requires multi-factor authentication for all authorized users and limits access to identified personnel who receive training on department policy before being granted access. User activity is logged and subject to audit. 

Flock Safety is Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliant and reports alignment with nationally recognized cybersecurity standards, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity framework. RPD continually evaluates vendor cybersecurity practices and compliance standards.

How long is information gathered by Flock stored? 

North Carolina law permits license plate reader (LPR) data to be stored for up to 90 days unless additional preservation requirements apply. Raleigh Police Department has adopted a more restrictive practice regarding Flock LPR data. Flock data is automatically deleted after 30 days unless it has been preserved as part of a specific criminal investigation in accordance with applicable law and department policy.

Is the data captured by Flock public record? 

Under both state law and Departmental policy, license plate reader captured data is confidential and is not a public record.

Is there any real-time data available for me to see? 

Yes. Flock maintains a public transparency portal through which members of the public can view RPD’s use of Flock cameras. This portal shows general what type of data RPD is reviewing and the frequency, in addition to the number of cameras in use and the current data retention time.  

Does Flock share data with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)? 

No. Flock does not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Communities control federal data access. ICE does not have direct access to Flock cameras, systems, or data, unless the agencies that control their data expressly and deliberately allow it.*

Does Raleigh share data with ICE? 

No. The Raleigh Police Department does not grant ICE access to Flock data for immigration purposes.  

Raleigh Police Department policy requires that every license plate reader search be tied to a legitimate law enforcement purpose and documented with a case number, a warrant number, a call-for-service dispatch number, or uniquely identifiable number. All user activity is subject to supervisory review and auditing, and misuse of the system is subject to discipline. The use and effectiveness of the LPR system is audited regularly, with the results reported to the Police Chief. These requirements ensure accountability and guard against improper use. 

If a member of ICE presents a legal document linked to criminal activity, Raleigh Police Department will provide data with ICE upon request.

Were Flock cameras in Raleigh hacked in 2025? 

The Raleigh Police Department is not aware of any data breach involving RPD's Flock license plate reader system. 

Although a cybersecurity vulnerability affecting about 60 Flock Condor cameras was publicly reported in 2025, the vulnerability did not involve the LPR cameras used by RPD, did not provide access to the Flock search platform or LPR data, affected no North Carolina agencies, and was promptly remediated by Flock.

What is the return on investment for Flock cameras? 

From Jan. 1, 2025, to July 15, 2026, Flock technology assisted the Raleigh Police Department in:

• Recovering 154 stolen vehicles;
• Clearing 244 criminal cases;
• Recovering almost $1.8 million in stolen property; and,
• Locating seven missing people.

The department pays about $75,000 annually for Flock cameras. The agreement governing the purchase of Flock cameras and their terms and conditions are a public record. The cost of the cameras is minimal when compared to the results that they produce.

*Some or all of the answers originate from Flock Safety.