GoKawiilFlock Safety's license-plate cameras reshape how police find stolen cars
A former police officer argues that Flock Safety's automated license plate recognition cameras have replaced guesswork with instant, precise identification of stolen vehicles. The Atlanta startup, founded in 2017, installs solar-powered roadside cameras that photograph passing cars, log identifying details, and check plates against the FBI's national database in real time, alerting officers to matches.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account, written from a police perspective, suggests that automated plate scanning could make a historically difficult task—catching car thieves on sprawling road networks with thin police staffing—far more efficient. This framing implies fewer wrongful stops of innocent drivers and faster recoveries, though it comes from an advocate for the technology rather than independent evaluation, and does not address privacy or surveillance concerns that critics commonly raise about such systems.
- Flock Safety's ALPR cameras automatically photograph and identify passing vehicles' plates.
- Plates are checked instantly against the FBI's stolen vehicle and wanted persons database.
- The system aims to replace imprecise manual plate-spotting with real-time automated alerts to police.
Source: worksinprogress.co — Ned Donovan, 2026-10-07
Published there as: “A Cop's Case for Flock”
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