Have you been Flocked?
In other words, has your license plate appeared in publicly available Flock search records?
A website, HaveIBeenFlocked.com, could help answer that question. The site allows users to enter their license plate information and search released audit records of searches performed by Flock customers.
“The license plates and search reasons are what someone manually entered into the system,” HaveIBeenFlocked states. “The results don’t show when or if your vehicle passed one of Flock’s estimated 120,000+ cameras and connected devices, or what those devices returned.”
HaveIBeenFlocked does not have access to Flock’s private database.
What are Flock cameras?
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that capture and analyze images of passing vehicles.
They can store details such as a vehicle’s make, model, color, location, date and time.
Law enforcement agencies, businesses and private communities have used the controversial surveillance cameras, which have sparked a heated debate over public safety and personal privacy.
HaveIBeenFlocked said it knows about 4,684,253 license plates seen in 241,961,192 Flock searches.
Among the agencies listed in the HaveIBeenFlocked system are: the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, Carolina Beach Police Department, Kure Beach Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Ocean Isle Beach Police Department, Pender County Sheriff’s Office, Surf City Police Department, Topsail Beach Police Department and Wrightsville Beach Police Department.
Data limitations
The HaveIBeenFlocked system has limitations.
“This website aggregates audit logs that have been released via open records requests,” HaveIBeenFlocked states. “The data is incomplete; few governments provide easy access to these logs, and the records we obtain are often redacted.”
In addition, HaveIBeenFlocked notes this is not a real-time monitoring tool.
“The data’s freshness depends entirely on when we receive audit logs from public records requests or transparency portals,” it said. “There can be a significant delay — months or even years — between when a search occurs and when it appears on this website.”
Bob Liepa is the city of Wilmington and public safety reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at RLiepa@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: How Wilmington-area drivers can check if Flock searched their plate
