{"id":2002,"date":"2026-06-08T13:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2002"},"modified":"2026-06-08T13:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:05:09","slug":"no-plate-no-problem-high-tech-cameras-capture-more-than-license-plates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2002","title":{"rendered":"\u2018No plate? No problem\u2019: High-tech cameras capture more than license plates"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

State officials have used Flock Safety\u2019s technology, cameras commonly known as automatic license plate readers, to build a network of vigilant eyes across North Carolina. But the high-tech surveillance system captures more than just vehicle plates.<\/p>\n

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The Atlanta-based company\u2019s cameras record data including a car\u2019s make, decals and body type, according to a 2024 product presentation prepared for the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation\u2019s license plate reader pilot program<\/a>, obtained by The News & Observer.<\/p>\n

Officers can also tap into data showing a car\u2019s decals, bumper stickers, back and top racks \u2014 along with temporary and unique state tags.<\/p>\n

Flock calls it a \u201cVehicle Fingerprint\u201d and it\u2019s touted as a way for law enforcement officials to get more information \u201ceven when you don\u2019t have full plate information,\u201d the company\u2019s presentation shows.<\/p>\n

The company gives police officers the ability to search that data as well, to \u201cbuild stronger cases with less information upfront.\u201d That includes being able to locate multiple vehicles law enforcement officials believe are moving together and what Flock calls a \u201cmulti geo search.\u201d<\/p>\n

That search allows officers to track a vehicle \u201cacross multiple incidents, without specific vehicle details or plate numbers,\u201d according to the presentation.<\/p>\n

Flock pitched three fixed automatic license plate reader cameras to SBI officials, according to records reviewed by The N&O \u2014 a standard camera and its long- and short-range equivalents.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re called Falcon cameras. The main unit can capture data on cars driving speeds over 60 mph, spanning a distance of up to two lanes, according to Flock\u2019s presentation.<\/p>\n

The \u201cFalcon Long Range\u201d camera can track vehicles going over 100 mph and can see over three lanes of traffic. The camera suite\u2019s short range unit tracks cars driving around 25 mph, including a wide field of view.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s designed to capture tight angles like in parking lots, park entrances and more, according to the company\u2019s material.<\/p>\n

Flock\u2019s technology goes beyond the cameras themselves. It offers a platform that compiles data from different sources \u2014 and allows officers to search it.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s Nova platform pulls in data from records management systems, dispatch databases, public records and \u201copen-source intelligence,\u201d according to the company\u2019s product presentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cSearch people, vehicles and locations across CAD, RMS, LPR, VMS, OSINT and more \u2014 with a Google-like experience made for public safety,\u201d the presentation reads.<\/p>\n

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Flock has been scrutinized in the past for discussions on where to obtain data. Early conversations about the product included possibly gathering data on the dark web \u2014 a section of the internet long used, in part, to trade in narcotics and stolen information, according to federal officials.<\/a><\/p>\n

After 404 Media reported<\/a> the company\u2019s work on the Nova platform last year, Flock published a blog post claiming the reporting hinged on \u201cdubious sources.\u201d But it did confirm that Flock was talking about using breached data, according to the blog.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cA source that came up as one some law enforcement agencies were already using was dark web data \u2014 data they sourced from breaches to serve a public safety reason,\u201d the company wrote.<\/p>\n

It said ultimately, a decision was made to not supply dark web data to the Nova platform.<\/p>\n

The SBI\u2019s pilot program has already allowed over 100 cameras to be installed on state rights-of-way, The N&O has reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

Flock isn\u2019t the only vendor contributing to the program, but at least nine of the 17 agencies currently operating cameras are using the company\u2019s technology, according to a state report released earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Outside of the SBI\u2019s program, over 1,800 Flock cameras are scattered across North Carolina, as of the company\u2019s 2024 presentation. That includes 117 law enforcement customers and 23 commercial customers.<\/p>\n

Flock offered to broker access to its cameras owned by Lowe\u2019s Home Improvement for state officials too, The N&O reported. That access was granted last year.<\/p>\n

The exact locations of the cameras are largely unknown. Camera locations were redacted in correspondence between local law enforcement agencies and SBI officials obtained by The N&O.<\/p>\n

But a chart included in Flock\u2019s presentation to the agency shows large concentrations of cameras in the Triangle and near Charlotte, Asheville and Fayetteville.<\/p>\n

Municipalities across North Carolina have opted to end contracts with Flock, citing backlash from community members and privacy concerns, The N&O reported.<\/p>\n

Read more Why Durham is betting on Legal Aid to prevent evictions amid rising rent costs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Automatic license plate readers from Flock compile wide-ranging data and pull records for searches, raising questions about data sources and community privacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018No plate? No problem\u2019: High-tech cameras capture more than license plates - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2002\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018No plate? 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