BISMARCK, N.D. — If you’ve driven past a shopping center in Bismarck lately, there’s a decent chance a Flock Safety camera has photographed your license plate. Here’s what’s actually known about the cameras, and what isn’t.
What a Flock camera does
Flock Safety sells automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras that photograph every vehicle passing by, log the plate number, time and location, and store that data in a searchable network. The company’s customers include police departments, homeowners associations and private businesses across the country. The cameras don’t ticket drivers directly; they build a record of vehicle movement that can be searched later, typically by law enforcement with network access.
Who owns Bismarck’s cameras
According to KX News reporting, the Flock cameras currently operating in Bismarck sit on private property outside shopping centers, not on city-owned poles or intersections. The Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office told KX News it does not use license plate readers or Flock cameras. 701 Report has not independently confirmed camera ownership or contacted Bismarck Police Department; that reporting is in progress.
That distinction matters. Owning a camera and having search access to someone else’s Flock network are two different things, and coverage so far, in Bismarck and nationally, hasn’t clearly separated the two.
How many cameras, and where
Crowdsourced tracking site LPRMaps lists seven Flock cameras in Bismarck, compared with 82 in West Fargo and 19 in Fargo statewide. A separate tracker, DeFlock.org, reportedly shows a similar count. Neither figure comes from Flock Safety, the city or county, so 701 Report drove the city to check.
701 Report located six cameras as of Aug. 27, 2026: three in the Pinehurst Square shopping area (near the Lowe’s at 1401 W Century Ave), and three at Kirkwood Mall, mounted to face traffic entering the parking lots. A camera some residents reported near the Fleet Farm on 64th Avenue NE, said to be directed toward Crossroads bar, could not be located on-site. 701 Report did not see any camera at or near that site during the visit, but a miss can’t be ruled out.
What people are worried about
The cameras have drawn attention on local social media, with some commenters raising concerns about data retention, facial recognition and possible misuse by officers with network access. 701 Report has not verified any specific claim of misuse in Bismarck; those concerns circulating online are not established facts and are noted here only as part of the public reaction, not as findings.
A third-party site, HaveIBeenFlocked.com, lets drivers check whether their plate has been logged in Flock’s system, sourced from audit logs of law enforcement searches. 701 Report has not tested or verified the accuracy of that tool.
Check it yourself
Two outside tools let readers look into this on their own. HaveIBeenFlocked.com lets drivers search whether their plate shows up in Flock’s audit logs. DeFlock.org maps crowdsourced camera locations nationwide, including North Dakota. 701 Report has not independently verified either tool’s accuracy or data source and is linking them for reader reference, not as an endorsement.
What’s next
701 Report has filed a records request with Bismarck Police Department seeking any contract or data-sharing agreement with Flock Safety or private camera owners, along with department policy on network access and searches. We’re also seeking comment from BPD and the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office. A fuller story on ownership, access policy and oversight will follow.
Watch our video breakdown of what these cameras look like around town:
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