The eyes on our streets: What Flock cameras record and what they don't

SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX News) — Flock cameras have become a topic of conversation in Scott County — and many people want to know what they are, what they record, and whether they're recording everyone who drives past them.

Tom Ramsey, Chief Visionary Officer at CK Tactical Security, has nearly three decades of experience in the security industry. He said the cameras are designed with a specific purpose in mind, not blanket surveillance.

"People are scared of what they don't understand, and I don't think people holistically understand what AI is yet and what it's being used for," Ramsey said.

Flock cameras capture images of vehicles and license plates but do not record or identify a driver's face. Ramsey compared them to a Ring doorbell camera — always collecting information, but not storing a continuous video feed unless the system is triggered.

"The reality is, is it recording? It is, but it will only store that information if it's something you're looking for, i.e., a vehicle description, a license plate, or something like that, and then that's when the alert is sent, and that's when you can access the database to see it," Ramsey said.

Law enforcement says the cameras are strictly used for investigative purposes. When an agency — whether the FBI or a local department — enters a specific vehicle or plate into the system, the camera will send an alert if that vehicle passes by. Everyday drivers are not being tracked or stored.

"Everyone is not being recorded all of the time. There's simply just not enough space to do that stuff. They're looking for people that need to be contacted by law enforcement for a very specific reason. Not people like you and I," Ramsey said.

Ramsey also noted the sheer volume of data that continuous recording would require makes it impractical.

"Now if a certain law enforcement agency. FBI or local law enforcement has put something into the system that's looking for a specific vehicle or plate. Then it will notify when that vehicle or that plate comes by, but as far as everyday driving past them, they're not recording you all the time. There's just not any space in any cloud storage or any data that can be stored that much," Ramsey said.

Flock cameras have been in Kentucky since 2022. 10 cameras were installed in Scott County in mid-2025.

Law enforcement is not required to share Flock camera locations, but you can view where they're located in your city on this website.