A new website is giving drivers an unprecedented look into how law enforcement uses automated license plate recognition technology. Called “Have I Been Flocked,” the site allows users to check whether their license plate number has been photographed and searched through the Flock camera systems used by police agencies across the country.
The website compiles audit logs from Flock Safety’s camera network, which includes more than 120,000 AI-powered cameras operating in public spaces. If a plate appears in the database, it means not only that the plate was captured on camera, but that someone using the Flock system — often a law enforcement officer — actively searched for that specific plate. The audit log also includes the stated reason given for the lookup, as entered by the operator.
“Have I Been Flocked” was built using thousands of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed with 6,586 different agencies nationwide. The organizers describe the project as an ongoing effort to shed light on how these surveillance tools are being used, but they also caution about the limitations of the data.
What the Data Shows — and What It Doesn’t
The site’s organizers are quick to note that the database does not reveal when or whether a vehicle actually passed one of Flock’s cameras. It also does not indicate whether the person searching the database was a police officer, nor does appearing in the logs mean an individual is under investigation. The records simply show that a search was performed and what justification was provided at the time.
“The dataset is incomplete; few governments provide easy access to these logs, and the records we obtain are often redacted,” the organizers warn on the site. That means coverage varies widely from agency to agency, and some information may be outdated or incomplete.
Despite these gaps, the site offers a rare window into how Flock’s cameras are being used — including the reasons operators give when they look up a plate. It also provides breakdowns of system usage by agency, giving the public a way to see how active these tools are in their own communities.
A Controversial Tool in Law Enforcement
Flock Safety, a private for-profit company, markets its cameras as a crime-fighting tool. The cameras automatically capture and log license plate data from public roadways, and that data is shared with police departments and local governments, who can then query the system for specific plates or vehicles.
Supporters argue the technology is a valuable asset for law enforcement, helping agencies quickly identify vehicles linked to criminal activity. But the expansion of Flock’s network has also sparked growing backlash from privacy advocates, who worry about the mass surveillance of everyday drivers in public spaces.
Those concerns are not purely theoretical. Breitbart News recently reported on a case in South Carolina where a police officer was fired after allegedly using the Flock system to stalk her ex-boyfriend.
South Carolina Officer Fired Over Alleged Misuse
According to documents from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, former Mauldin Police Department officer Amanda Hammond searched the license plate of her ex-boyfriend 166 separate times between March and July. The documents reportedly show that she provided false justifications for the searches, including claims of warrant checks, traffic infractions, and welfare checks — none of which were legitimate reasons for the lookups, according to officials.
Hammond joined the department in June 2024 and was assigned to its Uniform Patrol division. She was let go once the misconduct was discovered, though officials said she was not criminally charged in connection with the searches. A spokesperson for the Mauldin Police Department declined to discuss the case further, describing it as “a personnel matter.”
An Ongoing Transparency Effort
The “Have I Been Flocked” project is part of a broader push for transparency around police surveillance tools. As Flock’s network continues to expand — the company now operates more than 120,000 cameras nationwide — the audit logs gathered by the site offer one of the few ways for the public to see how these systems are actually being used.
Organizers describe the effort as a work in progress, dependent on the willingness of government agencies to respond to public records requests. Where agencies refuse or fail to provide complete logs, the data will remain incomplete. But for drivers who want to know whether their plate has been looked up — and why — the site provides a first-of-its-kind answer.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026/08/19/have-i-been-flocked-website-lets-you-check-if-police-searched-for-your-car-using-flock-camera-system/