Fairhope, Alabama thefairhopetimes.blogspot.com
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| Hwy 181 Flock camera in December 2025. |
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| Gone by August 2026 |
ONCE WAS CONSIDERED THOUGH
According to Fairhope police chief Hollinghead, the city of Fairhope has never used Flock ALPR cameras in its police jurisdiction; but it was being considered at one time.
According to web sources: "A Flock camera is an automated license plate reader, or ALPR, made by the public-safety technology company Flock Safety.
The cameras are commonly installed along roads, at intersections, near neighborhood entrances, and around businesses or other private properties.
When a vehicle passes, the camera captures an image and uses machine learning to turn its license plate, color, make, model, and other details into searchable information.
That makes them useful for those deploying them, like the police. Law enforcement agencies say Flock's technology can help them track down vehicles and locate crime suspects. In some cases, officers can search for a specific car across tens of thousands of cameras nationwide."
MANY ELSEWHERE IN BALDWIN COUNTY?
According to unofficial "crowd-sourced" maps online (ie. 'Deflocked'), Daphne currently has several -- but when a Times reporter searched for two indicated in the 24000 block of Hwy 181, there were none there. Google Earth photos from December 2025 showed them however.
Such maps show many in the Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach area too, but there is no official resource to confirm that.
NUMEROUS OTHER TYPES THOUGH
Not to be confused with the automatic license plate readers (ALPR), there are numerous conventional video security and traffic cameras around Fairhope, on public and private property.
The city has several in public places monitored 24/7 from the police dispatch office in the Section Street police station.
ALDOT has traffic cameras on poles at major state road intersections all around town as well.
Private homes and businesses have too many to count.
PRIVACY RIGHTS THE ISSUES
The cameras, especially the Flock APLRs, have become controversial recently because of growing privacy rights concerns and reports of abuse by some police departments for unauthorized tracking.
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| Map of possible Flock cameras. |