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 Lake City, 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. Lake City, Minnesota.
Three hardware variants are deployed across the US. Lake City, Minnesota.
3 Flock Safety ALPR cameras have been reported in Lake City, Minnesota by community members. 3 have been independently verified.
Minnesota law limits retention of non-hit ALPR data to 60 days. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety operates a statewide ALPR network. Minneapolis and St. Paul have faced scrutiny over their ALPR data-sharing practices.
Statute: Minn. Stat. § 13.824
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. 3 have been documented in Lake City 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.