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entry · p2026-09-06-257 · validated

Flock Safety automated licence plate reader network

More than 10,000 missing persons were located last year with Flock’s help, totaling more than 27 per day.
tech
flock-alpr
passes the definition as
computer-vision models fit to vehicle images to read plates and classify make, colour and vehicle features
from
2025-01
region
US
domain
safety
side
benefit
people
10,000 missing persons located (2025)
effect
10,000 missing persons (2025) — missing people located with the plate network's help during 2025, about 27 a day
reversible
yes
who holds the switch
owner:Flock Safety
attribution
named
source kind
primary
the statistic
Flock's first Impact Census surveyed nearly 700 customer agencies across 43 states and extrapolated to the full customer base by two methods, giving about 9,900 and about 11,900 missing persons found, with a 1,000-run bootstrap range of 8,000 to 19,600. Self-reported by the operator and unaudited; the same census claims about 1 million investigations supported and 20% of cleared cases assisted.
source
https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-effective-is-flock
proposed by
researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, us-surveillance
received
2026-09-06T14:27:54-04:00
harvest report
impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-us-surveillance.md

Rulings, in order

  1. 2026-09-06T14:27:55-04:00 · validatorpass — quote found on the fetched page (exact match; HTTP 200 text/html; charset=utf-8)
  2. 2026-09-06T14:28:26-04:00 · sessionseverity — A missing person located is a severe good for that person and their family, more than a convenience and short of a life counted as saved; the operator's own unaudited census, so the number is the vendor's. Reach on 10,000 people (2025).
The proposal as it arrived (JSON)
{
 "id": "p2026-09-06-257",
 "received": "2026-09-06T14:27:54-04:00",
 "proposer": "researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, us-surveillance",
 "kind": "entry",
 "sha": "7f4a53a088656f0d",
 "data": {
  "kind": "entry",
  "tech": "flock-alpr",
  "tech_name": "Flock Safety automated licence plate reader network",
  "definition": "computer-vision models fit to vehicle images to read plates and classify make, colour and vehicle features",
  "region": "US",
  "domain": "safety",
  "side": "benefit",
  "from": "2025-01",
  "people": {
   "n": 10000,
   "unit": "missing persons located",
   "date": "2025"
  },
  "effect": {
   "n": 10000,
   "unit": "missing persons",
   "date": "2025",
   "what": "missing people located with the plate network's help during 2025, about 27 a day"
  },
  "reversible": true,
  "switch": "owner:Flock Safety",
  "statistic": "Flock's first Impact Census surveyed nearly 700 customer agencies across 43 states and extrapolated to the full customer base by two methods, giving about 9,900 and about 11,900 missing persons found, with a 1,000-run bootstrap range of 8,000 to 19,600. Self-reported by the operator and unaudited; the same census claims about 1 million investigations supported and 20% of cleared cases assisted.",
  "source": "https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-effective-is-flock",
  "quote": "More than 10,000 missing persons were located last year with Flock’s help, totaling more than 27 per day.",
  "attribution": "named",
  "source_kind": "primary"
 },
 "from_file": "impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-us-surveillance.md"
}