# Source note — Manhattan “Flock camera” map / Upper West Side claim

Published: 2026-08-14

## Social lead

Instagram Reel `Db9MOMIJywu` by Holden / `holden_onto_truth` asks why one Manhattan area has no “Flock cameras” like everywhere else. The visible caption does not itself identify a court record, official map, contract, or policy reason.

## Core finding

The Reel points at a real public-policy issue — ALPR/license-plate-reader surveillance — but the viral Upper West Side map conclusion is misleading.

West Side Rag directly checked the viral screenshot and reported:

- The map is DeFlock, an open-source volunteer project that tracks ALPR cameras, not only Flock Safety cameras.
- There are no Flock Safety cameras in New York City, according to confirmations West Side Rag obtained from NYPD, NYC DOT and MTA.
- Manhattan ALPR cameras may be made by other vendors such as Ekin Box Spotter or RedSpeed.
- The Upper West Side was empty on the volunteer map because locations had not been submitted, not because cameras do not exist.
- West Side Rag listed multiple Upper West Side ALPR/red-light camera locations.

## Official/source anchors

- NYPD License Plate Readers Impact and Use Policy, updated Feb. 4, 2026: confirms NYPD use of fixed/mobile LPRs, plate/location/time capture, DAS access, limited national commercial LPR repository access, five-year retention for NYPD LPR data, FOIL request path, and non-discrimination language.
- West Side Rag, Aug. 13, 2026: directly addresses the viral Upper West Side/DeFlock screenshot.
- PIX11, July 20, 2026: explains Flock cameras and how DeFlock is used in NY/NJ discussion.
- ACLU/EFF/mainstream reporting: documents broader ALPR/Flock mass-surveillance concerns and policy changes/backlash.

## Editorial safety note

The comment thread contained antisemitic/identity-based insinuations. Those are not evidence. PBC rejects ethnicity/religion/nationality as proof of surveillance decisions or corporate control. The source-backed story is about ALPR maps, vendors, public records, retention, data access and civil-liberties oversight.