These New York Towns Have Flock Cameras Watching Your Car

If you've started noticing small black cameras popping up along New York roads, you're not imagining things.

In the words of one Hudson Valley Post reader, "they're everywhere."

Flock Cameras Are Watching New York: What They See and Where They Are

In my hometown of Newburgh, they're becoming a major source of controversy. Many residents are demanding that Newburgh get rid of Flock Safety cameras, while police officials argue the technology is another tool that can help solve crimes and recover stolen vehicles.

So what exactly are these cameras? And just how much information are they collecting?

Flock Safety cameras are a type of automated license plate reader, commonly called an ALPR.

They are not traditional traffic cameras. They don't issue speeding tickets, and they aren't designed to photograph every driver like a red-light camera.

Instead, the cameras photograph vehicles as they pass.

What Flock Cameras Capture?

Flock says its cameras can capture a license plate along with information about the vehicle, including its make, model, color and distinguishing characteristics. The system then makes that information searchable for authorized law enforcement agencies.

Flock says its cameras can also alert police when a vehicle connected to a stolen car, wanted person, missing person or other law-enforcement hot list passes a camera. The cameras are generally solar-powered and use cellular connections, meaning they can be installed without running traditional electrical or internet lines.

That's one reason you've suddenly started seeing them in places where you wouldn't expect to see a surveillance camera.

Why Are Police Using Them?

Let's say someone robs a business and gets away in a dark SUV. Police may not know the suspect's name, but they might know the vehicle's description or license plate. Instead of asking officers to manually search hours of surveillance footage, investigators can search the Flock system for vehicles matching the description.

Police can also receive alerts when a vehicle on a designated hot list passes a camera. That can be especially useful for stolen vehicles, missing people, and suspects wanted in connection with serious crimes.

Where Are Flock Cameras Currently In New York?

Finding where all the Flock cameras are in the Hudson Valley or New York State is tricky at the moment.

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Public records, municipal documents, Flock Safety transparency portals, and recent news reports confirm Flock automated license plate reader cameras are operating in at least 30 communities across New York State. Because New York does not maintain a single statewide database of Flock cameras, this list reflects communities where deployments could be independently verified.

For this list, Hudson Valley Post researched Atlas Of Surveillance, Flock Safety, and more. According to reports, Flock Cameras are currently in: