Frequently Asked
Questions

General

Camera

Drones

Crime

Customers

Installation

Maintenance

Price and Payment

Privacy and Access

Software

Crime

General

What are some tips for neighborhood safety?

Take these proactive steps to promote neighborhood safety in your community.

Close and Lock Your Windows
Remember to close and lock your windows when you leave your house or turn in for the night. Open windows are a prime entrance opportunity for potential burglars. Open blinds also present an opportunity for people to look inside your home or your garage. When closing your windows, remember to also reach for the blinds.
Don’t Hide Spare Keys Outside
It can be tempting to keep a spare key hidden under a flowerpot or a doormat, but this provides an easy opportunity for burglars to gain access to your home. Consider keeping your key in a lockbox that requires a unique combination code, or even a smart lock that connects to an app.
See Something, Say Something
If you haven’t already, make friends with your neighbors. Friendly neighbors are more likely to look out for each other. Just as you expect your neighbors to speak up if they notice suspicious activity around your home, do the same for them. Don’t assume someone else has reported the suspicious vehicle or individual you’ve seen. Work with your local police to share potential crimes in your community.

General

Why Flock Safety for license plate reading cameras?

Why choose Flock Safety?

Here at Flock Safety, we believe that, although LPR cameras were a uniquely excellent tool to solve crime, the traditional LPR camera was too expensive and unwieldy for the average neighborhood, small or mid-sized police agencies, and other price-conscious customers.

We started Flock Safety because we faced the same problem — wanting a security solution truly built for us. We cut out the infrastructure costs by making a camera that is solar and battery-powered, and utilizing a cellular network instead of WiFi.

We also have all footage uploaded to the cloud so customers can access it from anywhere. We built software that monitors the health of the camera so that we know if something is not working properly and can fix it immediately. And we built this technology to protect and maintain citizen privacy. In the end, we know that Flock fits that “goldilocks” set — price, functionality, and service.

General

Why does license plate recognition matter?

A license plate reading camera gives police the evidence they really need.

Flock Safety LPR cameras really help solve crime. On average, 2,200+ crimes solved per week with the help of Flock Safety technology

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General

What happens after my neighborhood signs up for Flock Safety?

We’ll walk you through the process.

We make the entire process of camera installation as easy and personal as possible.

You will be connected to an account representative who will work closely with you to set up billing, determine the placement of your cameras, install your cameras, and validate that the cameras are working well after installation.

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General

How can I add or remove administrators in the Flock Safety system?

To ensure somebody always has access to user management, we recommend assigning a few users as administrators. With just a few clicks, administrators can add and remove users, or adjust their roles.

If you have any more questions, please view the videos in the Help Center section of your Flock Safety dashboard.

Privacy and Access

General

Are Flock Safety products compliant and secure?

Flock Safety products, including: Flock Safety LPR, Flock Safety Audio Detection, and Flock Safety Video Cameras are both NDAA and CJIS compliant.

Installation

General

Can I be onsite for the installation?

Yes, but it is not required.

We’ll give you a heads up before our installers come onsite. You’re more than welcome to meet them (we’re a friendly bunch!), but it is not necessary. We finalize camera locations prior to the installation visit so that we are always well prepared for a successful installation.

Software

General

Can Flock Safety cameras read license plates?

Yes!

Flock Safety is able to capture vehicles traveling up to 100 MPH, day and night, and up to 75 ft away. That’s a big part of how we help solve and reduce crime across the country.

Crime

General

Can Flock Safety reduce crime in neighborhoods?

Flock cameras are helping solve more than 10% of reported crime in the United States. Read more about how LPR cameras help solve crime: How Many Crimes Do Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) Solve, Anyway?

Learn how Flock Safety can reduce crime in your neighborhood by speaking with a community safety consultant today.

Camera

General

Besides a license plate, what else do Flock Safety cameras capture?

Flock Safety cameras apply machine learning to the footage they capture to identify important details that traditional LPR cameras overlook. Besides just a license plate number, Flock Safety captures and organizes vehicles into categories based on:

Make
Model
Color
Resident or non-resident vehicle
Timestamp
Type of plate (standard v. temporary)
Damage or alterations (i.e. broken taillight, after-market wheels)

Software

General

Can I use Flock Safety software on my traditional IP cameras?

Yes, with the video software integration!

The video software integration enables law enforcement to turn existing IP cameras into ALPR cameras equipped with Flock Safety license plate reading technology.

Learn more about the power of the video software integration here.

Installation

General

How are Flock cameras installed?

Flock Safety takes care of installation, without you lifting a finger

Flock installs cameras in the best place for your neighborhood. At a minimum, we place them near entrance(s), but encourage customers to consider placing them strategically throughout your community for maximum effectiveness. A Flock representative will work with you to determine an optimal location.

Read more about the installation process here.

General

Does my neighborhood need Flock cameras?

In a word, yes! We think every neighborhood should be protected with Flock Safety cameras

Here at Flock, we believe every neighborhood has the opportunity to improve overall safety. We pride ourselves on our ability to help solve crime in neighborhoods.

Check out these resources:

‍Helping Prevent Crime with Flock Safety ‍
Does My Neighborhood Need Flock Safety Cameras?

Camera

General

Can Flock cameras capture both ingoing and outgoing traffic?

One Flock Safety license plate reading camera is designed to capture 1.5 lanes of traffic, heading in a single direction. If you want to capture both ingoing and outgoing traffic, you will need at least two cameras.

Camera

General

Can I use a Flock camera to capture activity in a specific area?

Recording activity over a specific area with a Flock camera is possible, but Flock cameras have an intentionally narrow field of view. Our motion detection works up to 75 feet, and the field of view at that distance is ~20 feet wide (about 1.5 lanes of traffic).

The infrared technology that we use to capture license plates illuminates reflective subject matter, so anything that is not reflective (license plate) or illuminated (light pattern of the vehicle) will be completely dark.

As a best practice, we recommend having a well-lit area to ensure the utmost security.

Installation

General

Does Flock offer onsite visits prior to installation?

We don’t typically need to come see you until you’re ready for a camera.

In 99% of cases, an onsite visit prior to installation is not required. We are able to utilize satellite imagery to help select the best location for your cameras.

Camera

General

Do Flock Safety cameras detect speeding?

No, Flock Safety cameras do not have speed detection capabilities.

Privacy and Access

General

How do I access the footage search?

Simply visit the Flock Safety dashboard to access footage.

All customers should have a username and password to access the Flock Safety dashboard at admin.flocksafety.com.

If you do not have your login details, please contact support@flocksafety.com for access.

General

How can I add or remove administrators in the Flock Safety system?

To ensure somebody always has access to user management, we recommend assigning a few users as administrators. With just a few clicks, administrators can add and remove users, or adjust their roles.

If you have any more questions, please view the videos in the Help Center section of your Flock Safety dashboard.

Crime

General

Does Flock Safety reduce mail theft and porch pirates?

Yes!

Many neighborhoods that have struggled with mail theft and porch pirates, like Sundance Community in California, have experienced a major decrease in package theft since installing Flock Safety cameras.

Privacy and Access

General

How does Flock Safety protect citizen privacy?

Flock Safety has strict measures in place to protect resident privacy.

Flock Safety believes that we can successfully reduce crime while protecting and preserving privacy. Here are a few of the ways we have ethically-engineered our suite of products to ensure privacy protection:

We store all data for only 30 days (or in adherence with local laws). Customers own all of their data — Flock will never share or sell data with third parties. The customer is the only one to determine who has access to the footage.
The HOA Safe List feature allows neighborhood residents to register their license plate number and opt to be eliminated from captured footage. This way, police can easily separate residents from non-residents and allow residents with privacy concerns to opt out of the system altogether.
All images and metadata is encrypted throughout its entire lifecycle, from on-device to storage in the cloud. Flock uses Amazon Web Services cloud storage and KMS-based encryption, limiting access to the encryption keys. All CJIS data is stored in the AWS GovCloud and is only available to Law Enforcement agencies. No CJIS data is shared with non-Law Enforcement Flock Safety Customers.

Learn more about how we protect privacy here: How Flock Safety Works to Eliminate Crime While Protecting and Maintaining Resident Privacy

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Software

General

How do the Hot List alerts work?

Our cameras have an integration with the NCIC, a database of known wanted vehicles. That means when a camera detects a wanted car, an alert automatically will go to local law enforcement.

Installation

General

How do I get approval to install Flock Safety cameras on public streets?

In most cases, Flock Safety neighborhood cameras are installed on private streets, but your neighborhood may have a public street entrance.

The majority of neighborhoods do install on private or semi-private land (semi-private is typically the land the community is landscaping or caring for). If a street you want to install a camera on is city-owned, your neighborhood will need to get permission through the department of transportation.

Don’t worry, our team is here to help throughout the process. Contact sales@flocksafety.com with questions.

Camera

General

How is a License Plate Recognition camera different from a traditional security camera?

Regular security cameras record videos focusing on people and the overall context. License plate recognition cameras take still photos to focus solely on a vehicle and ensure a clear view of the license plate.

Flock Safety takes the traditional LPR camera to the next level by using machine learning to capture clear, accurate license plate information and organize it based on a vehicle’s physical description and unique features.

Installation

General

How do we best protect our neighborhood with Flock Safety cameras?

We’ll assess your needs for optimal neighborhood safety and home protection.

First and foremost, we always recommend covering the egress points of your community. At a minimum, if there is a property crime incident, you will then be able to see exactly which vehicles went into your neighborhood. Then we prioritize the following in terms of Flock camera placement:

1. Solar Power – Flock Safety cameras function best with a few hours of direct sunlight each day.

2. Proximity – It’s important that license plate reading cameras are as close to the lane of traffic they are capturing as possible. We never recommend shooting across lanes of traffic as we run the risk of missing vehicles. ‍

3. Traffic Patterns – Ideally, you would have a camera covering incoming traffic and another covering outgoing traffic. However, if you must choose one, we suggest covering incoming traffic.

4. Discretion – We have purposefully designed Flock Safety cameras to be discreet and fit into the landscape of your community. We make every attempt to ensure that during installation, we place the cameras in a location that does not disrupt the aesthetics of the community.

Privacy and Access

General

How do I set up the Safe List for my neighborhood?

The Flock Safety Safe List allows residents to add their own vehicle details to the system.

To set up the Safe List, we recommend communities and neighborhoods send out an email to all residents. This helps educate everyone and gets the highest amount of participation.

To access the sign-up link, log-in to admin.flocksafety.com, then click “Safe List” located in the navigation bar at the top of your screen. Once on the page, copy the hyperlink listed after “Safe List Signup Link” at the top of the page.

Once the Safe List is enabled, neighbors who enter their details will be marked as a “resident”, so if a crime occurs you can quickly filter out community members. Residents can also opt-out of having their vehicle captured on the footage altogether.

Crime

General

How do license plate readers help solve crime?

License plate numbers give law enforcement the actionable leads needed to solve the investigation. Using LPR cameras, detectives can pinpoint the suspect’s last known location which narrows down the search radius.

Flock Safety LPR cameras go beyond capturing license plates. Unlike traditional license plate readers, the unique Vehicle Signature technology accelerates investigations by allowing users to filter their search based on the vehicle’s specific characteristics, including body type, make, color, and more. This is key in producing an investigative lead for law enforcement when a suspect vehicle has no visible plates.

Camera

General

How do I know if my Flock Safety cameras are working?

Customers can find the Insights tool on their Flock Safety dashboard. Insights provides objective data reports on the value that each Flock Safety system provides.

Insights can also mitigate privacy and transparency concerns by allowing users to access admin names, emails, roles, all cameras, search timeframe, filters, search reason, and a timestamp for every instance a camera’s footage is accessed.

Software

General

How do I navigate the search tool?

Searching for footage in the Flock system is much like searching on Google. You can filter results by date and time, then further filter by vehicle type, color, characteristics, or any character of the license plate number. Explore the Help Center for more questions on how to navigate your search tool.

Privacy and Access

General

How is the footage securely stored?

All footage and metadata is encrypted throughout its entire lifecycle, from on-device to storage in the cloud.

Flock uses Amazon Web Services cloud storage and KMS-based encryption, limiting access to the encryption keys.All CJIS data is stored in the AWS GovCloud and is only available to Law Enforcement agencies. No CJIS data is shared with non-Law Enforcement Flock Safety Customers.

Privacy and Access

General

My neighborhood has Flock cameras. Can I mark my car as a “resident” in the system?

Yes, Flock has several features only in place for residential customers. One measure is the Flock Safety HOA Safe List.

The Flock Safety HOA Safe List is a feature available only to neighborhood customers – like HOAs and neighborhood associations – at no additional cost. Flock Safety HOA Safe List feature is not available to Law Enforcement or other Flock customers outside of residential communities.

Furthermore, a vehicle being placed on a residential Flock Safety HOA Safe List in their community does not preclude that same vehicle from being detected and cataloged on other Flock Safety cameras in the network, once leaving their residential community.

The Safe List allows neighborhood residents to self-register their vehicle license plates in their neighborhood’s Flock Safety system, allowing footage of a resident’s vehicle to be marked as “resident.” By self-registering as a resident, you have the ability to opt-out and have any footage of your vehicle automatically deleted. This removes the vehicle from footage and keeps it out of the search.

If you are already a Flock Safety customer and want to learn more about the Safe List, contact support@flocksafety.com for more details.

Privacy and Access

General

How long is data stored?

‍Data from Flock Safety devices is stored and then deleted after 30 days for privacy and security purposes. All images and metadata is encrypted throughout its entire lifecycle, from on-device to storage in the cloud.

Flock uses Amazon Web Services cloud storage and KMS-based encryption, limiting access to the encryption keys. All CJIS data is stored in the AWS GovCloud and is only available to Law Enforcement agencies. No CJIS data is shared with non-Law Enforcement Flock Safety Customers.

Based on industry best practices for handling camera footage, Flock Safety defaults to permanently deletion of all data after 30 days. In states or municipalities where a different time span is required by law, we are able to comply with all regulations.

Customers

General

How will I learn how to use my Flock Safety system?

Once you are officially a Flock Safety customer, you will gain access to a virtual help center stocked with helpful articles and training videos.

If you have any additional questions not answered by the help center materials, you can always contact our support staff by emailing support@flocksafety.com.

Software

General

How is Flock Safety's new Search Experience different from the legacy Search Experience?

Flock Safety’s new and improved search experience provides users with an easily navigable platform that produces 10x faster results. The new experience resembles popular online retail sites, complete with sidebar filters that include state, body, make, and color, and four new Vehicle Signature filters.

Price and Payment

General

What are my payment options?

Payment is straightforward and collected upfront.

We’ll help you set up billing and accept ACH or check.

While Flock does not offer payment plans, we recommend a few different ways the primary contact can collect payment from the neighborhood.

1. App — Use a payment app like Venmo or Zelle to collect each neighbor’s portion of the cost.

2. Paper check — Collect paper checks from each neighbor and deposit them into a single, secure account.

Installation

General

How many Flock Safety neighborhood signs can I receive?

Customers receive one sign per camera.

Your community will receive signs during the installation process. We do not provide an additional pole for signage. Each extra sign costs $30. Here’s an example of the sign.

Price and Payment

General

How much does a Flock Safety camera cost?

As part of our subscription model, Flock Safety cameras price includes everything — installation, maintenance, footage hosting, cellular service, and software updates.

For more information on solutions and pricing for neighborhoods, businesses, or law enforcement, please contact:

Neighborhoods: support@flocksafety.com‍
Businesses: commercial@flocksafety.com‍
Law enforcement: support@flocksafety.com

Software

General

How many frames per second do the LPR cameras capture?

Flock Safety cameras capture somewhere in the range of 6-12 images of a vehicle per session.

When a car drives by, the camera will rapidly capture it entering and exiting the camera frame. Our engineering team has the ability to configure those settings based on the camera location and how much traffic it is expected to capture. This ensures we can provide customers with the evidence they need based on the location.

Privacy and Access

General

Is the footage securely stored?

Data from Flock Safety devices is stored and then deleted after 30 days for privacy and security purposes.

All images and metadata is encrypted throughout its entire lifecycle, from on-device to storage in the cloud. Flock uses Amazon Web Services cloud storage and KMS-based encryption, limiting access to the encryption keys. All CJIS data is stored in the AWS GovCloud and is only available to Law Enforcement agencies. No CJIS data is shared with non-Law Enforcement Flock Safety Customers.

Read more about how we store and secure data here: How Flock Safety Works to Eliminate Neighborhood Crime While Maintaining and Protecting Resident Privacy.

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Crime

General

What happens in the event of a crime?

We make it simple and fast to pull the footage you need if a crime occurs.

Input search terms such as vehicle color or type, license plate number (partial or full), day and time window into our secure web portal. The searchable interface makes it as easy to search for actionable evidence as it is to shop online.

If your neighborhood has opted into the Safe List feature, each image will even be marked as resident or non-resident. You can then share the footage with law enforcement. With Flock footage, police can now kickstart their investigation with actionable, objective evidence.

Learn more here.

Installation

General

What happens after Flock cameras are installed?

The Flock Safety team confirms camera performance (camera is receiving plenty of sunlight, connecting to the cellular network, taking quality pictures, etc.)

After this validation period is complete, the customer begins the billing cycle and is able to grant access to their chosen designated parties.

You’re protected by our maintenance and replacement policies from the second we install your camera.

General

What happens after my neighborhood signs up for Flock Safety?

We’ll walk you through the process.

We make the entire process of camera installation as easy and personal as possible.

Customers

General

How many customers does Flock Safety have?

We are currently in 5,000+ communities. On average, 1,000+ crimes solved per day with the help of Flock Safety technology.

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Price and Payment

General

What happens after my subscription ends?

After your initial subscription ends, you will have the option to renew your service or walk away.

We don’t foresee a price increase, but purchasing additional years upfront is always an option. What you can expect is updated hardware and software to ensure your neighborhood always has the latest and greatest technology.

Software

General

What does the video integration add to traditional IP cameras?

The video integration software transforms existing IP cameras into ALPR cameras that think like a detective.

Instead of purchasing all new hardware, the video software integration enables current IP camera owners to use Flock Safety software and Vehicle Signature technology on their existing infrastructure.

Learn more about the power of the video software integration here.

Customers

General

What do I do if I need help with my Flock Safety products?

If you need to troubleshoot an issue contact our team!

The Flock Safety team is here to help with customer questions. First, visit our Help Center in the portal to see if there is an answer there. If you still can’t find your answer, send us an email at support@flocksafety.com for assistance.

Crime

General

What if the Hot List isn't live in my state?

Setting up Hot List alerts to police requires coordination with your local law enforcement.

For police to receive Hot List alerts from your camera, Flock Safety must have an agreement with the agency in place. Once Flock Safety cameras are installed in a new state or jurisdiction, our team connects with the police to share more about the value of receiving Hot List alerts. These alerts notify local law enforcement in real-time when a wanted suspect vehicle passes by your Flock Safety cameras.

Our goal is to eliminate crime across the country and we work closely with local law enforcement and private citizens to find the best ways to accomplish our mission.

Want to help accelerate the process for your community? Feel free to connect with us by emailing police@flocksafety.com.

Maintenance

General

What if my Flock Safety camera breaks?

Flock Safety is always monitoring the health of your camera. We have automated system alerts that tell us if your camera needs attention.

Our Support team is available at support@flocksafety.com or 866-901-1781 to address any concerns as well.

Crime

General

What kind of crime does Flock help solve and reduce?

Flock Safety helps solve and reduce violent and non-violent crime. Some of the main types of property crime Flock Safety addresses include mail and package theft, home invasions, vandalism, trespassing, and burglary. We regularly solve violent crimes as well, including assault, kidnappings, shootings and homicides.

Privacy and Access

General

What is the Authorized Access List feature for HOAs, neighborhoods, and all private organizations?

The Flock Safety Authorized Access List is a feature available to neighborhood customers – like HOAs and neighborhood associations – at no additional cost.

Furthermore, a vehicle being placed on a residential Authorized Access List in their community does not preclude that same vehicle from being detected and cataloged on other Flock Safety cameras in the network, once leaving their residential community.

The Authorized AccessList allows Customers to register certain residential vehicle license plates allowing footage of a resident’s vehicle to be marked as “resident.” This removes the vehicle from footage and keeps it out of the search. The Authorized Access List can be applied to any kind of “authorized vehicle” such as employees, residents or vendors and have these results omitted from search results.

If you are already a Flock Safety customer and want to learn more about the Authorized Access List, contact support@flocksafety.com for more details.

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Software

General

What is the difference between the Flock Safety video software integration and the LPR Camera

The video integration is a software package designed to provide existing IP cameras with the capabilities of the Flock Safety LPR software. The Falcon is a Flock Safety camera that already comes with all of our computer vision and machine learning software capabilities.

Learn more about The Flock Safety video integration here.

Camera

General

What kind of vehicles can a Flock Safety camera identify?

Flock Safety cameras use machine learning to identify vehicles and organize them into categories. One way to search for a vehicle is by filtering for its body type, including:

Cars (coupe, hatchback, convertible, sedan and wagon)
SUV
Pickup Truck
Van (minivan or work van)
Semi Truck
Bus
Motorcyle
Golfcart
Trailor
Bicycle

Customers

General

What phone number should I call if I need to reach someone at Flock Safety?

Here are some helpful numbers when you need help from the Flock Safety team.

Sales – 866.901.1781
Customer Support – 866.901.1781
Billing – 866.901.1781
Media Requests – 404.947.7273

Software

General

What is Vehicle Signature technology?

Vehicle Signature technology sets Flock Safety apart from your average LPR camera.

Unlike ordinary ALPRs, Flock Safety cameras go beyond searching for license plates. The systems’ unique Vehicle Signature technology makes it possible for users to filter their vehicle search for unique characteristics like roof racks, back racks, aftermarket wheels and more.

Privacy and Access

General

What is the Safe List feature for HOAs and neighborhoods?

The Flock Safety Safe List is a feature available only to neighborhood customers – like HOAs and neighborhood associations – at no additional cost. The Safe List feature is not available to Law Enforcement or other Flock customers outside of residential communities.

Furthermore, a vehicle being placed on a residential Safe List in their community does not preclude that same vehicle from being detected and cataloged on other Flock Safety cameras in the network, once leaving their residential community.

If you are already a Flock Safety customer and want to learn more about the Safe List, contact support@flocksafety.com for more details.

Software

General

What kind of vehicles can a Flock Safety camera identify?

Flock Safety cameras use machine learning to identify vehicles and organize them into categories. One way to search for a vehicle is by filtering for its body type, including:

Cars (coupe, hatchback, convertible, sedan and wagon)
SUV
Pickup Truck
Van (minivan or work van)
Semi Truck
Bus
Motorcycle
Golfcart
Trailor
Bicycle

Privacy and Access

General

Who monitors the camera footage?

Nobody from Flock Safety is accessing or monitoring your footage.

You, the customer, decide who can access your footage. Whether it’s a trusted neighbor, the HOA board members, or your Property Manager, it’s entirely up to you.

In the event of a crime, customers can choose to provide access to local police to help gather the evidence needed. Customers can also choose to engage in an ongoing relationship with their local law enforcement to grant them access to Flock Safety footage automatically. This helps police get real-time alerts should a suspect pass through your neighborhood, increasing their capability to solve crimes like AMBER Alerts.

Flock Safety does not access or monitor your footage without explicit request of the customer. Our team does have software in place to measure camera performance and image capture quality. This is used to preemptively diagnose issues and schedule maintenance service calls.

Customers

General

Who uses Flock Safety products?

Flock Safety products are used by anyone who wants to reduce crime in their community

Flock Safety products are useful for neighborhood HOA boards, police officers, business owners, community improvement districts (CIDs), business improvement districts (BIDs), neighborhood associations, property management, property developers, and any other community members who want to eliminate crime.

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Installation

General

Why do we need more than one camera at the neighborhood entrance?

Placing multiple cameras in high-traffic areas helps police paint the full picture of what happened.

Firstly, Flock Safety cameras can capture about one and a half lanes of traffic. This means you will be able to capture all of the incoming or outgoing traffic with one camera, but if another object is parked in front of the camera or your roads are wider than 70 ft, you may miss important information with just a single camera. To ensure we capture 100% of the information, we typically suggest two cameras for each entry point.

Secondly, we recommend placing a camera on the right side of the road capturing all incoming traffic, and another on the left side capturing outgoing traffic. The value of this is that you’ll be able to see what time a potential suspect entered the neighborhood, how long they were inside, and what time they left. Law enforcement organizations say this information and timeline gives them the best chance at solving property crimes and other crime. These details paint the full picture of what happened, helping officers map out the crime.

Crime

General

Why is a license plate the most important piece of evidence?

License plates offer police a piece of objective evidence that can be transformed into actionable leads.

When law enforcement have access to Flock Safety software, they can run a suspect’s license plate number or Vehicle Signature through the network to quickly identify the suspect’s location. This accelerated process saves lives in time sensitive cases like kidnappings.

Maintenance

General

Who is responsible for the camera?

Flock Safety installs and maintains the cameras in your neighborhood.

Maintenance is included in your annual cost. If your camera is damaged or stolen, we will replace the unit at a fee according to the then-current Reinstall Policy.

Learn more here.

General

Why does license plate recognition matter?

A license plate reading camera gives police the evidence they really need.

Flock Safety LPR cameras really help solve crime. On average, 2,200+ crimes solved per week with the help of Flock Safety technology

Privacy and Access

General

Who has access to Flock footage?

Flock customers own their own data.

The neighborhood, business, or community determines who has access to footage. That often means an HOA board member, trusted neighbor, or property management company is the designated contact in the event of a crime, but it’s 100% your call. Flock will not share, sell, or access your data.

Customers

General

Who does Flock Safety serve?

Flock Safety is trusted by thousands of police departments, communities, national associations, and more.

At a high level, we serve HOAs and neighborhoods, property and community managers, police and public safety organizations, apartments, individual homeowners, schools and universities, and businesses.

Installation

General

Where can a Flock camera be installed?

Flock Safety cameras can be installed almost anywhere!

Flock Safety leverages solar and battery for power, and cellular (LTE) for data communications, removing any upfront wiring or labor costs. The cameras only require a few hours of sunlight a day, making them ideal for both rural and urban neighborhoods.

Learn more about becoming a Flock Safety customer here.

Installation

General

Why do we need more than one camera throughout the neighborhood?

Our general recommendation is at least one camera per 50 homes.

Larger neighborhoods have more traffic. While we’ve condensed the footage into still frames to make it easier to find what you’re looking for, strategically placing cameras throughout the neighborhood can be the difference between having to sift through 400 images versus just looking at a few cars on your street.

Installing more neighborhood cameras will significantly reduce the time it takes to find important evidence in the event of a crime.

Price and Payment

General

Why can't I buy Flock Safety cameras?

Flock is just as much a software company as we are a hardware company.

We use machine learning to provide a lot of the cutting-edge features within the Flock Safety interface. With our safety-as-a-service model, we’re able to update the camera software in real-time as soon as we have a new feature or release, just like your smartphone. Additionally, when we create a new version of the camera, we’re able to replace it for you, free of charge. With Flock Safety’s subscription service, we ensure that you’ll never be left with outdated technology.

Software

General

Why license plate reading?

License plate readers capture the most important piece of evidence police need.

We set out to build a product that could actually help solve crime. And it became clear that the best way to do that was to provide better evidence to police, through License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras. Because we hear time and again from law enforcement that a license plate is the best piece of evidence.

Software

General

Why would a community want to share their Flock Safety footage with law enforcement?

Sharing your Flock Safety camera footage with law enforcement helps solve and prevent crime in your community and surrounding area. By granting police access to your system, you are adding to their interconnected system of Flock Safety cameras, and thereby giving them an even more powerful tool to stop crime in your neighborhood and others.

Additionally, when you share your network with police, you give them access to features like the Flock Safety Hot List and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) AMBER Alerts integration which further protects your community.

Price and Payment

General

Why pay an annual fee?

This is safety-as-a-service.

Unlike traditional neighborhood security systems, Flock provides a service that strengthens the security of your neighborhood while relieving you, the resident or property manager, the burden of managing and monitoring any of your cameras. If your camera goes offline, breaks, or even if the lens is dirty, we take care of it.

At the end of the day, Flock isn’t just selling you the camera and walking away. Most service providers simply sell you the equipment and expect you to take care of the rest — hosting the footage, managing an internet provider, upgrading your hardware. With Flock Safety, not only will your camera be upgraded with every new contract, but we are also your one-stop-shop for everything, all included in the price.

General

Why Flock Safety for license plate reading cameras?

Why choose Flock Safety?

Drones

General

What is Flock DFR and how does it work?

Flock DFR is a fully remote Drone as First Responder system that launches automatically in response to 911 calls. It provides real-time video of the scene within an average of 86 seconds, giving officers situational awareness before they arrive. The system integrates with your existing tech stack, like CAD and LPR, enabling fast, automated aerial response — all without requiring rooftop staff.

Drones

General

How is this different from a traditional drone program?

Unlike traditional drone operations that require the drone to be launched on scene and piloted by the responding officer, Flock DFR is always ready. It launches without human intervention, flies farther and longer, and gets to incidents first. It's faster, safer, and more scalable — offering real-time visibility and measurable improvements in response times and case resolution.

Drones

General

How will this benefit my agency?

Agencies using Flock DFR report faster response times (up to 71% improvement), fewer unnecessary patrol deployments, and safer resolutions. It helps locate suspects or vehicles 89% more often and clears 20% of calls without sending an officer, reducing risks and freeing up resources.

Drones

General

Is this a surveillance tool?

No. Flock DFR only activates in response to specific calls for service — never for general patrol or surveillance. Every flight is logged, audit-traceable, and visible via a public-facing transparency dashboard, ensuring responsible use and public trust.

Drones

General

Are there multiple options available?

Yes. Flock Drones support multiple hardware setups to fit your agency’s needs — including the fastest contact-charging dock on the market and the only battery-swapping dock purpose-built for public safety. These systems maximize uptime and ensure drones are always mission-ready.

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Drones

General

What if we already have drones?

DFR will complement your existing drone program, taking your response to the next level. Traditional drone programs can't match the speed or coverage of Flock DFR. With automated launch, full tech integration, and 24/7 availability, Flock DFR is a true force multiplier.

Drones

General

What kind of support and training does Flock provide?

Flock offers a turnkey deployment experience — from site planning and regulatory guidance to hands-on training and ongoing white-glove support. Whether you're launching your first drone program or scaling an existing one, our team ensures you’re operational, confident, and compliant from day one.

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Drones

General

How does Flock DFR integrate with our existing systems?

Flock DFR is built to fit seamlessly into your agency’s workflow. It integrates with CAD, LPR, gunshot detection, and more. These integrations enable faster dispatch, smarter response, and less friction for your team — all while reducing manual tasks.

Privacy and Access

General

Does Flock partner with Palantir?

No, Flock does not partner with Palantir. Palantir does not have access to any Flock customer data.

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What Happens if a Flock Camera Is Damaged?

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What Happens if a Flock Camera Is Damaged?

How Flock's Audio Detection Works, and the Concerns We Hear Most

What the Supreme Court's Chatrie Decision Means for ALPR Technology

What Happens if a Flock Camera Is Damaged?

How Flock's Audio Detection Works, and the Concerns We Hear Most

What the Supreme Court's Chatrie Decision Means for ALPR Technology

Frequently AskedQuestions

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Frequently Asked
Questions