Tool lets drivers check if their license plates were queried in Flock surveillance system

A website called HaveIBeenFlocked.com allows anyone to input a license-plate number and view entries from publicly released audit logs of searches performed using Flock Safety’s automated license-plate reader system. The database, compiled from records obtained through transparency portals and public-records requests, contains nearly 242 million searches involving more than 4.6 million plates as of mid-August.

If a plate is found, the site may display the date of the query, the agency that requested it, the operator’s name (often abbreviated) and the reason the operator entered, such as a stolen-vehicle investigation or a missing-person case. The information is self-reported by the operator and may be incomplete or redacted.

"There can be a significant delay — months or even years — between when a search occurs and when it appears on this website," the project notes.

A match only indicates that a Flock user queried the database; it does not confirm that the vehicle was stopped, that the driver was suspected of a crime, or that a formal investigation took place. While many users are law-enforcement officers, the system is also employed by private entities such as businesses, schools and homeowners’ associations.

The site’s coverage is not exhaustive. Because it relies on audit logs that individual agencies choose to release, many searches remain unrecorded, and some records are heavily redacted or outdated. Consequently, an empty result does not guarantee that a plate has never been searched.

Operators’ names are often abbreviated in the logs, making precise identification difficult. The project attempts to match these partial names with public employment records, but warns that such matches are probabilistic and should be independently verified.

Users who discover a concerning entry are advised to file a public-records request with the listed agency and to consult legal counsel if they believe the surveillance was improper. The platform also provides tools to explore searches by agency and to examine patterns related to immigration enforcement, First Amendment activity and other non-criminal investigations, offering greater transparency into Flock’s surveillance practices.