‘No plate? No problem’: High-tech cameras capture more than license plates
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The SBI is using Flock Safety cameras in a North Carolina pilot program.
- Flock Safety cameras record vehicle make, decals, body type and unique state tags.
- Company labels combined vehicle attributes a “Vehicle Fingerprint” for law.
State officials have used Flock Safety’s technology, cameras commonly known as automatic license plate readers, to build a network of vigilant eyes across North Carolina. But the high-tech surveillance system captures more than just vehicle plates.
The Atlanta-based company’s cameras record data including a car’s make, decals and body type, according to a 2024 product presentation prepared for the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation’s license plate reader pilot program, obtained by The News & Observer.
Officers can also tap into data showing a car’s decals, bumper stickers, back and top racks — along with temporary and unique state tags.
Flock calls it a “Vehicle Fingerprint” and it’s touted as a way for law enforcement officials to get more information “even when you don’t have full plate information,” the company’s presentation shows.
The company gives police officers the ability to search that data as well, to “build stronger cases with less information upfront.” That includes being able to locate multiple vehicles law enforcement officials believe are moving together and what Flock calls a “multi geo search.”
That search allows officers to track a vehicle “across multiple incidents, without specific vehicle details or plate numbers,” according to the presentation.
Flock’s Falcon cameras
Flock pitched three fixed automatic license plate reader cameras to SBI officials, according to records reviewed by The N&O — a standard camera and its long- and short-range equivalents.
They’re called Falcon cameras. The main unit can capture data on cars driving speeds over 60 mph, spanning a distance of up to two lanes, according to Flock’s presentation.
The “Falcon Long Range” camera can track vehicles going over 100 mph and can see over three lanes of traffic. The camera suite’s short range unit tracks cars driving around 25 mph, including a wide field of view.
It’s designed to capture tight angles like in parking lots, park entrances and more, according to the company’s material.
Public safety’s ‘Google-like experience’
Flock’s technology goes beyond the cameras themselves. It offers a platform that compiles data from different sources — and allows officers to search it.
The company’s Nova platform pulls in data from records management systems, dispatch databases, public records and “open-source intelligence,” according to the company’s product presentation.
“Search people, vehicles and locations across CAD, RMS, LPR, VMS, OSINT and more — with a Google-like experience made for public safety,” the presentation reads.
Flock has been scrutinized in the past for discussions on where to obtain data. Early conversations about the product included possibly gathering data on the dark web — a section of the internet long used, in part, to trade in narcotics and stolen information, according to federal officials.
After 404 Media reported the company’s work on the Nova platform last year, Flock published a blog post claiming the reporting hinged on “dubious sources.” But it did confirm that Flock was talking about using breached data, according to the blog.
“A source that came up as one some law enforcement agencies were already using was dark web data — data they sourced from breaches to serve a public safety reason,” the company wrote.
It said ultimately, a decision was made to not supply dark web data to the Nova platform.
License plate readers in NC
The SBI’s pilot program has already allowed over 100 cameras to be installed on state rights-of-way, The N&O has reported.
Flock isn’t the only vendor contributing to the program, but at least nine of the 17 agencies currently operating cameras are using the company’s technology, according to a state report released earlier this year.
Outside of the SBI’s program, over 1,800 Flock cameras are scattered across North Carolina, as of the company’s 2024 presentation. That includes 117 law enforcement customers and 23 commercial customers.
Flock offered to broker access to its cameras owned by Lowe’s Home Improvement for state officials too, The N&O reported. That access was granted last year.
The exact locations of the cameras are largely unknown. Camera locations were redacted in correspondence between local law enforcement agencies and SBI officials obtained by The N&O.
But a chart included in Flock’s presentation to the agency shows large concentrations of cameras in the Triangle and near Charlotte, Asheville and Fayetteville.
Municipalities across North Carolina have opted to end contracts with Flock, citing backlash from community members and privacy concerns, The N&O reported.
