A website is drawing attention for allowing people across the U.S. to check whether their license plate has been searched through Flock Safety’s system.
The site, called “Have I Been Flocked,” uses Flock audit logs obtained from government agencies through public records requests. Users can enter a license plate number to see whether it appears in the records collected by the site.
If a plate appears in the database, it means someone using Flock searched for that license plate. It does not necessarily mean the driver was under investigation or that a Flock camera recently photographed the vehicle.
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company, operates automated license plate reader cameras used by law enforcement agencies and other customers across the country. The cameras capture license plates and other vehicle details that can later be searched through Flock’s system.
The tool comes as privacy concerns grow over Flock technology, including several cases of alleged misuse across metro Atlanta.
In DeKalb County, former Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kabiru Salawu was fired and arrested in July after investigators said he improperly used the agency’s license plate reader system. Later that month, a Conyers police supervisor was arrested after she was accused of using Flock more than 30 times for non-law enforcement reasons, including searches involving her partner’s vehicle.
Three police officers were also fired in Fayetteville after an audit found searches involving their own license plates or plates belonging to family members and friends without a valid law enforcement reason.
Have I Been Flocked is independently operated and is not affiliated with Flock Safety or a government agency. The database relies on publicly obtained audit logs and does not include every search conducted through Flock. Records may also be incomplete or delayed, so a plate not appearing in the database does not necessarily mean it has never been searched.
The site says it does not save or log license plate numbers entered into its search tool.
