Tag: Flock camera

Automated Red Light Cameras are NOT Automated License Plate Readers

Dan AllisonLeave a comment

Automated Red Light Cameras are NOT Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR).

Recently Flock Safety cameras, and similar cameras by other vendors, including the Motorola cameras used in the City of Sacramento, have been much in the news, and there growing public concern and desire to ban or tightly control their use. You can read up on how they have been mis-used by law enforcement agencies. They are a step toward a univeral surveillance state. ALPRs continuously record license plate numbers, and depending on the setup, also other information including vehicle identification and even facial recognition of the driver. Though law enforcement claims that license plates are correctly identified, and that data is shared only with those who need to know, it has been demonstrated that they are very inaccurate, and that the data is being accessed by almost anyone associated with law enforcement or government agencies. Including stalking by law enforcement officers.

Automated Red Light Cameras (and similar Automated Speed Enforcement Cameras) are completely different. They record only incidents of violation, such as running red lights, and capture only license plate numbers. They are not continuous, do not record any other information, and have retention periods only long enough to resolve the civil citations. You can read a good summary of the privacy safeguards on City of Sacramento’s Automated Red Light Camera Enforcement Program page, or more detail on the SB 770 legislation page.

If you get into or overhear a discussion that confuses ALPRs with red light cameras, I hope that you will jump in with the correct information. Being anti-Flock should not means being anti-red light cameras.

Some of this confusion is understandable. To the public, any camera may seem like the camera of concern. At a typical intersection, there may be upwards of ten cameras, all for different purposes, or overlapping purposes. Probably some are ALPRs. Some are for detection, that allow the signal to detect motor vehicles and bicyclists, some are for traffic detection, allowing an agency to adjust for traffic flows. Sadly, most agencies do not actively manage traffic, even though they have spent huge sums on the signals, controller boxes, and central traffic centers that would allow them to do so.

I know that much of the ‘confusion’ is intentional. There is a large subset of motor vehicle drivers who do not want to be held responsible for their driving behavior and the traffic violence they create. Lumping red light cameras (and speed cameras) in with surveillance cameras furthers their attempt to ban all cameras. Don’t fall for it! Help educate your friends, co-workers, agencies, elected officials, and organizations.

See my previous posts: SacATC 2026-08-20: red light camera program and are there Flock cameras in the City of Sacramento?, and many others.

are there Flock cameras in the City of Sacramento?

Dan Allison3 Comments

I was incorrect in saying there don’t seem to be automated license plate readers (ALPR) in the City of Sacramento. I was looking at a map that showed only Flock cameras, and the ones in the city are not Flock. I think they are Motorola L5F devices. In looking at the devices at J Street and 5th Street, I looked up the pole, but failed to look far enough up, and out on the street light mast arm, which is where several cameras are. The DeFlock app shows all ALPRs, Flock and other brands. I checked two other locations that are in the app, and they have the same cameras. The locations also have video cameras with a dome shape.

The first photo below is a Motorola L5F camera at J Street and 10th Street. The second photo shows multiple devices all in one location, none of which seem to this camera. I don’t know what they are all for. It is possible some are for traffic, not surveillance.

It appears that I was also incorrect that SacPD ShotSpotters are only listening devices. At least some of them, maybe all of them, have cameras on the bottom.

My apologies for missing and minimizing the prevalence of surveillance devices in our city.

photo of J St & 10th St, Motorola L5F ALPR camera
J St & 10th St, Motorola L5F ALPR camera
photo of J St & 5th St, multiple camera devices
J St & 5th St, multiple camera devices

I recently noticed anti-Flock signs at J Street and 5th Street in the City of Sacramento. This made me wonder if the identification as a Flock camera was accurate. It appears not.

If you look the the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) website and map, it appears that the Flock camera in Sacramento county are in unincorporated Sacramento County and Elk Grove. In the region, Roseville and Rocklin in Placer county have a number, and there are a few in Davis and Woodland in Yolo county. None in the City of Sacramento. Note that this map is very hard to use, but it is still useful.

photo of Anti-Flock signs at J St & 5th St, misidentified
Anti-Flock signs at J St & 5th St, misidentified

The device on the pole above is a SacPD ShotSpotter, which is not a camera, but a listening device intended to identify and pinpoint gun shots. The only criticism that I have noted of ShotSpotters is that they are expensive and ineffective, mis-identifying sounds, and often resulting in too-late arrivals of law enforcement. By the way, the blank out ‘no left on red’ and ‘turning vehicles yield to pedestrians’ sign below the ShotSpotter is an attempt by the city to reduce the likelihood of drivers running over walkers at this dangerous intersection. I have not had the chance to observe this one in operation, but will.

photo of SacPD ShotSpotter at J St & 5th St
SacPD ShotSpotter at J St & 5th St

I am in no way minimizing the concerns of the anti-Flock movement (flockout and others). Flock is a disreputable company, and the data gathered has been misused by law enforcement everywhere it is installed.

My concern is that the public’s opposition to Flock cameras, and similar license plate readers from other companies, will be used as an excuse by drivers and organizations who do not want automated speed enforcement and automated red light enforcement to be installed anywhere. These are people who would rather others die in traffic violence, than that their ‘privacy’ be invaded by any type of enforcement.

So, please, anti-Flock people, learn about the different types of devices and their uses, and then correctly identify Flock locations. Don’t label other devices as Flocks.