Flock & ALPR cameras in Cincinnati, OH
1,173 mapped ALPR cameras around metro Cincinnati as of 3 September 2026, run by 98 operators — 98% of the vendor-tagged ones Flock Safety. See each one on the live map below — which way it faces and its approximate capture zone — free, no account. BanditKin is the private app that routes around them.
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What makes Cincinnati different
Cincinnati inverts the usual pattern: county sheriffs run far more of this map than the city force does. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office accounts for 112 mapped cameras, Butler County 80 and Clermont County 68, while Cincinnati Police Department has 42 — seventh place overall. Anyone reasoning about "Cincinnati's cameras" as a single city program will get it wrong.
The metro also spills across the Ohio River into Kentucky — Newport's police department is on the operator list — so a short drive here can cross two states' ALPR programs. It is one of the best-tagged networks we map — only 18 of 1,173 cameras lack a manufacturer.
Cincinnati is one of six Ohio metros with mapped ALPR cameras. See the Ohio ALPR camera overview for city-by-city counts across the state.
Cincinnati ALPR cameras by the numbers
Four numbers that describe the Cincinnati network, taken from the map above on the same day.
1,173
Mapped ALPR cameras in metro Cincinnati
98
Separate operating agencies on the map
1,077
Cameras with a recorded facing direction
1,128
Cameras tagged Flock Safety
Read from the live map on 3 September 2026. The underlying records are OpenStreetMap entries plus community submissions — nobody who operates a camera is obliged to declare it, so these are the documented minimum rather than the full picture. The metro is a box roughly 50 miles across centred on Cincinnati.
How Cincinnati compares
Upper third on size among the 251 metro areas tracked, all counted the same way on the same day.
Cincinnati ranks 41st of the 251 metro areas BanditKin tracks by mapped cameras, between Sacramento, CA and Norfolk, VA, and 12th by operator count.
On composition it ranks 226th on how much of the metro its largest operator holds (10%) and 108th on the share of cameras with a recorded bearing (92%) — a spread-out network with strong direction data.
Mapped ALPR cameras
1,173 — 41st of 251
Separate operators on the map
98 — 12th of 251
Cameras per operator
12.0 — 163rd of 251
Largest operator's share
10% — 226th of 251
Share with a recorded bearing
92% — 108th of 251
Ranked against the 251 metro areas BanditKin tracks, every one read from the live map on 3 September 2026. Metro areas are drawn as a box around the city centre, so neighbouring metros can share cameras and these counts must never be added together.
Which departments run the cameras around Cincinnati
Who runs Cincinnati's plate readers — the 20 biggest of 98 operators, by mapped cameras.
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
112 cameras
Butler County Sheriff's Office
80 cameras
Clermont County Sheriff's Office
68 cameras
Fairfield Police Department
48 cameras
Forest Park Police Department
45 cameras
Mason Police Department
43 cameras
Cincinnati Police Department
42 cameras
Hamilton Police Department
37 cameras
The Village of Indian Hill Police Department
31 cameras
Sharonville Police Department
26 cameras
Warren County Sheriff's Office
24 cameras
Blue Ash Police Department
21 cameras
Kenwood Towne Center
20 cameras
Monroe Police Department
15 cameras
Newport Police Department
14 cameras
Madeira Police Department
14 cameras
South Lebanon Police Department
13 cameras
Green Township Police Department
12 cameras
Norwood Police Department
12 cameras
North College Hill Police Department
12 cameras
These are the 20 largest of 98 operators. Where OpenStreetMap names an operator we use that name; otherwise the camera is attributed to whichever jurisdiction it stands in (812 cameras here), which is a sound inference rather than a confirmed fact. 202 cameras record no operator of any kind.
It isn't all Flock
'Flock' has become shorthand for any plate reader. Around Cincinnati it is mostly accurate — 98% of the vendor-tagged cameras — but Motorola Solutions accounts for 13.
Flock Safety
1,128 cameras
Motorola Solutions
13 cameras
Axon Enterprise
4 cameras
Neology
4 cameras
Axis Communications
2 cameras
Rekor
2 cameras
Genetec
1 camera
Manufacturer is a free-text field, so spellings and legal names have been consolidated here. 19 of 1,173 mapped cameras name no manufacturer at all, which makes the actual distribution broader than shown. These count cameras on the map, not purchase orders.
Where they sit, and which way they face
1,077 of the 1,173 mapped cameras around Cincinnati record which way they point, which is what makes routing around them possible.
Look for a slim grey or black box the size of a shoebox on its own pole, usually paired with a small solar panel, at intersections and on the approaches to shopping centres. Recorded mounts around Cincinnati:
On a dedicated pole
204 cameras
On a street lamp
15 cameras
On a post
15 cameras
On a wall
2 cameras
One camera covers one approach, so its heading is what decides which journeys end up recorded. Around Cincinnati the mapped bearings distribute like this:
Facing north
186 cameras
Facing south
177 cameras
Facing west
155 cameras
Facing east
155 cameras
Facing southeast
114 cameras
Facing southwest
103 cameras
Facing northeast
97 cameras
Facing northwest
90 cameras
Bearings come from public map data and describe an approximate capture zone, never an exact field of view. 94 mapped cameras have no recorded bearing, and 2 are tagged as omnidirectional.
Documented ALPR programs around Cincinnati
The EFF's Atlas of Surveillance documents 26 agencies in the Cincinnati area with automated license plate readers, from public records and news reports. The map records 98 operators.
Blue Ash Police Department
The Blue Ash Police Department uses Flock Safety automated license plate readers. Vendor: Flock Safety.
Sharonville Police Department
The Sharonville Police Department installed 12 Flock Safety automated license plate readers in 2023. Vendor: Flock Safety.
Loveland Police Department
As of April 2024, the Loveland Police Department operates 10 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days. Vendor: Flock Safety.
Amberley Village Police Department
As of April 2024, the Amberley Village Police Department operates nine Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days. Vendor: Flock Safety.
Evendale Police Department
As of April 2024, the Evendale Police Department operates 20 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days. Vendor: Flock Safety.
Forest Park Police Department
As of April 2024, the Forest Park Police Department operates 35 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days. Vendor: Flock Safety.
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation, Atlas of Surveillance. Summaries are the Atlas's own wording, trimmed to a complete sentence.
Seeing the cameras is free. Avoiding them is the app.
Knowing where the cameras are is half of it. The BanditKin app routes around the ones with a recorded bearing when you ask it to, tells you plainly when it can't, and never sends your identity or location anywhere.
This page is part of the Ohio camera hub, which counts every camera inside the state line rather than by metro box. New to this? Read what ALPR cameras capture, how long it is kept, and who can search it. Not in Cincinnati? Search the full map by any city.
ALPR camera maps for nearby and related cities: Cleveland, OH · Columbus, OH · Akron, OH · Dayton, OH · Toledo, OH · Lexington, KY · Louisville, KY · Indianapolis, IN · Knoxville, TN · Detroit, MI.
Get BanditKin on Google PlayCincinnati ALPR questions
How many Flock cameras does Cincinnati have?
Public map data records 1,173 ALPR cameras around metro Cincinnati as of 3 September 2026, run by 98 separate operators. 1,128 are tagged Flock Safety. That count is a floor, not a full inventory: cameras appear on the map as people map them, and 19 carry no manufacturer tag at all.
Where are Flock cameras in Cincinnati?
The live map above shows 1,173 mapped ALPR cameras around metro Cincinnati, each with an approximate viewing cone. Positions come from OpenStreetMap and community reports, so coverage may be incomplete — if you know a camera that isn't shown, you can report it directly on the map.
Who operates the ALPR cameras around Cincinnati?
98 operators in total, led by Hamilton County Sheriff's Office (112) and Butler County Sheriff's Office (80). Of the cameras with a recorded operator type, 523 are police, 289 are sheriff's offices and 5 are privately run.
Can I avoid Flock cameras when driving in Cincinnati?
Yes, within limits. BanditKin routes around the 1,077 Cincinnati cameras whose facing direction is known (92% of the total), with a slider for how hard to try, and it tells you honestly when no camera-free route exists. It is off by default and never sends your identity or location.
Is this map free? Do I need an account?
The map is free and needs no account or sign-in. The data is public — OpenStreetMap, the EFF Atlas of Surveillance and community reports. The app is what adds camera-aware routing, and early users keep it free.