Report and track Flock camera locations — a community driven resource
If you spotted a small rectangular camera mounted on a utility pole or street sign in Council Bluffs, it's almost certainly a Flock Safety ALPR license plate reader — not a traffic camera, not a security camera. Here's how to confirm it.
Six visual features that distinguish Flock Safety ALPR cameras from traffic cameras, security cameras, and other pole-mounted devices. Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Three hardware variants are deployed across the US. Council Bluffs, Iowa.
28 Flock Safety ALPR cameras have been reported in Council Bluffs, Iowa by community members. 28 have been independently verified.
Iowa lacks a statewide ALPR retention law. The Iowa Department of Transportation operates fixed ALPR readers on major highways. Des Moines and Cedar Rapids have adopted Flock Safety systems in recent years.
It's almost certainly a Flock Safety ALPR (Automatic License Plate Reader). These devices photograph every passing vehicle's license plate, timestamp, and direction of travel. 28 have been documented in Council Bluffs by community members on this map.
Traffic cameras are typically larger, mounted at intersections on signal arms, and face the road horizontally. Flock Safety cameras are smaller (roughly 8×5 inches), mounted on utility poles or fence posts at 8–12 ft, and often have a visible IR LED ring and a small solar panel. They are not connected to traffic signals.
Cameras can be operated by local police departments, HOAs, private businesses, or neighborhood associations. Flock Safety sells directly to all of these groups. The operator is not always disclosed publicly, which is why community mapping efforts like this one exist.