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 Sault Ste. Marie, 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. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Three hardware variants are deployed across the US. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
1 Flock Safety ALPR camera have been reported in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan by community members. 1 has been independently verified.
Michigan has no statewide ALPR retention statute. Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Oakland County have significant ALPR deployments. The Michigan Legislature has not enacted ALPR-specific privacy legislation.
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 Sault Ste. Marie 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.