Flock cameras in Washington, DC: the map, policy and jurisdiction

A Washington-centered circle covers several jurisdictions

The snapshot contains 488 records classified as ALPR: 416 attributed to Flock and 72 attributed to another vendor or without a vendor attribution. It was retrieved October 3, 2026 at 13:54 UTC, using a 10-mile radius around 38.9072, -77.0369. These are counts of source records, not an official equipment census.

The search area crosses the Potomac into Virginia and extends into Maryland. A reader near Arlington, Alexandria or a Maryland boundary can appear alongside a DC location when it falls within the circle. Its presence does not assign ownership to MPD, DDOT or any other agency. The location's jurisdiction and its operator need separate evidence.

For a neighborhood question, zoom to the actual street and inspect the record. For an agency question, look for that agency's inventory or contract. The current city page can change with later source updates; this report preserves one dated observation for comparison.

Open Washington's city map and current summary · Explore the Washington-centered map

A Flock label describes the source's attribution

One nearby sample, at approximately 38.9056, -77.0425, is labeled Flock Safety and includes a direction of 280 degrees. Another, near 38.9127, -77.0221, is labeled Leonardo. Those entries demonstrate that the local source data includes more than one vendor label. They do not establish the model, agency, coverage angle or present working condition of either device.

The snapshot includes directions for 483 of its 488 records, but none supplied a last-verification date. A direction can help interpret what a contributor reported; it is not a recent inspection. Similarly, a record retained by the dataset as active is not proof that an investigator visited the site or confirmed power, connectivity and operation.

Inspect the nearby Flock-attributed record · Compare camera identification features

MPD replaced its older LPR order in April 2026

MPD's GO-OPS-303.09, effective April 30, 2026, replaced the October 2020 order. It covers fixed and mobile readers, restricts access to authorized personnel and calls for interagency sharing agreements, audit trails and annual query audits.

System-held LPR information has a maximum 90-day retention period; queries generally remain for four years. Investigative files and litigation holds have separate provisions. A plate read, query log and preserved case evidence are different records.

Published rules are not a compliance audit or an ownership and operating-status inventory for this map.

Read the April 30, 2026 MPD order

An agency statement supports a narrower claim than a camera count

MPD's May 19, 2025 statement about a Northeast investigation explicitly refers to Flock LPR camera data. It is primary evidence that the department described using such data in that investigation. We do not turn that historical statement into a current count of MPD-owned Flock installations or an independent finding about the case.

Owning a reader, receiving an alert and searching a shared database are different capabilities. A data-sharing relationship may extend beyond the agency's own hardware. To resolve present ownership or access, look for a current inventory and the relevant agreement, including its effective dates, termination provisions and named parties.

Read MPD's dated Flock-specific statement

DDOT's traffic-enforcement program answers a different question

DDOT's DC StreetSafe FAQ describes photo enforcement of traffic violations and explains how captured evidence is reviewed before a citation is mailed. It also links to the department's camera-location directory. This is the relevant official starting point for a question about a speed or red-light enforcement installation.

A Flock-attributed ALPR pin does not establish that the device measures speed or issues traffic citations. Conversely, a traffic-enforcement camera can record a license plate without being part of the Flock system. Identify the responsible program and equipment before assigning a purpose from the word camera, its roadside appearance or a nearby map label.

If a notice prompted your search, use the agency and program identified on the notice. The community map does not display violation evidence, live camera footage or police plate-search results. Our speed-camera explainer discusses the distinction between reading a moving plate, measuring speed and operating a ticketing program.

Read DDOT's program FAQ and location-directory link · Do Flock cameras measure speed or give tickets?

Ask for the operator and deployment records before drawing a conclusion

MPD's official FOIA page links to the District's request portal. For an MPD program question, ask for existing inventories by vendor and model, installation or deactivation records, sharing agreements and applicable audit reports. Use a defined date range. For a Maryland, Virginia, federal or private operator, identify the correct records holder instead of assuming MPD controls the site.

Our snapshot selects ALPR-class records from FlockDetour's public production data, excludes records marked removed, deduplicates IDs and counts entries inside the circle. The retrieval did not report truncation. That describes the returned dataset, not completeness on the ground; unpublished devices, mobile readers, stale entries and attribution errors can remain.

No physical site survey was performed for this article. The snapshot timestamp records when data was retrieved, not when the camera was installed or last checked. Use source records and current agency documents together, and preserve an unanswered question when neither establishes the fact you need.

Please provide existing records identifying the operator, manufacturer, model and installation or deactivation dates for LPR equipment at [location] during [date range]. Separately, please provide current agreements governing access to plate-read data supplied by other agencies or vendors.

MPD's official FOIA instructions · Prepare an ALPR records request · Map sources and limitations

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Flock cameras in Miami: which agency, which date and which road? · Do Flock cameras track speed or give tickets? · How to request your city's Flock audit logs · Why do Flock camera maps show different counts? · All guides · Live camera map · Get the app