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 Mount Desert, 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. Mount Desert, Maine.
Three hardware variants are deployed across the US. Mount Desert, Maine.
1 Flock Safety ALPR camera have been reported in Mount Desert, Maine by community members. 1 has been independently verified.
Maine enacted one of the strictest ALPR laws in the country, requiring deletion of non-hit data within 21 days. The law also restricts who may access ALPR data and for what purposes. Maine's law is frequently cited as a model for other states considering ALPR privacy legislation.
Statute: Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 29-A, § 2117-A
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. 1 have been documented in Mount Desert 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.