Flock Cameras Are Watching Roads Across Eastern Iowa—Here’s Where

Cameras...they're everywhere. Sometimes they can cause quite a fuss. Let's not even start talking about the speed cameras that are watching when you drive on I-380 through downtown Cedar Rapids! But a new kind of camera is starting to get a lot of attention, and you might not even know they exist. They're called Flock Cameras.

What Is a Flock Camera? 

A Flock camera is a lot like other motion-based traffic cameras. According to Flock Safety, the cameras have a built-in license plate reader that can track the details of your vehicle and upload them to the cloud. It notes your vehicle make, model, color, body type, even dents and dings! The technology was developed with the intent to use it to find stolen vehicles or to track people involved in an active criminal investigation. But the cameras are raising questions about privacy.

Are Flock Cameras An Invasion of Privacy?

Some groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, are concerned that Flock cameras are an invasion of privacy. The ACLU claims that the cameras are quietly building a nationwide mass surveillance system. If Flock cameras are in your city, they're watching you whether or not you commit a crime. In fact, some cities are even outlawing the technology altogether!

Flock Camera Locations in Eastern Iowa

If you want to learn more about Flock cameras and threats to your privacy, you can head to Deflock.org.You can even search and find out where Flock cameras are located in your community. Here is a map of all the cameras in Eastern Iowa.

According to DeFlock, Cedar Rapids has 85 cameras in operation. There are 59 Flock cameras in Iowa City. In Marion, where I live, there are 80 cameras.

Are Flock cameras an invasion of privacy or a useful tool in public safety? Its a discussion that is just getting started.