New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers conducted over 1,700 searches using Flock Safety's automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology between March 2023 and December 2025. This occurred without an official contract between the NYPD and Flock Safety, as The New York Times reported.
The department confirmed that a "handful" of officers used the technology. Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, offers a nationwide database of license plate information collected by its cameras. This allows law enforcement agencies to search for vehicles of interest, even if they do not directly own Flock cameras.
What does this mean for drivers in NYC?
Drivers in New York City should be aware that even if the NYPD does not officially deploy Flock Safety cameras, their vehicle's license plate data could still be accessible to officers through the company's broader network. The NYPD stated that officers accessed the database through a free trial offered by Flock Safety. They used it to track vehicles involved in:
- Stolen car investigations
- Hit-and-run incidents
This means that if your vehicle's plate is captured by any of the 120,000 Flock cameras across the country, that information could potentially be searched by law enforcement, regardless of local police department contracts. You can learn more about how these systems work on our /learn page.
What is the status of NYPD's use of Flock Safety?
The NYPD maintains that it does not own or operate any Flock Safety cameras. The department described the officers' use as an ad hoc arrangement stemming from a company trial. The department stated, "It is not unusual for members of law enforcement or any government agency to test different products to see if they would be beneficial." This situation highlights how ALPR data can be shared and accessed across jurisdictions, even without direct local agreements.
For drivers, this emphasizes the widespread nature of ALPR technology and the interconnectedness of these systems. The incident concluded with the termination of the trial access. There is no indication of a future contract between the NYPD and Flock Safety.