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Plate readers © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · © OpenMapTiles
Iowa has 884 mapped plate readers. 816 carry the Flock Safety tag. Most don't say who runs them.
Cedar Rapids has the most (74), then West Des Moines (67) and Altoona (57). The first Flock-tagged one was mapped Dec 9, 2024. A plate reader keeps a record of each car that passes.
See who runs them · Cameras in Iowa · What is a Flock camera? · Flock cameras in the US · Other Flock camera maps
Flock cameras in Iowa by city
A city links to its own page once enough readers are mapped there.
Plate readers mapped in Iowa each month
Plate readers of any maker added to the map each month, not only Flock-tagged ones. Lighter bars are estimates from the first-mapped dates of current points.
CamsAhead started its daily change log on October 22, 2026. How the map changed.
Flock-tagged readers first mapped each month
Each row counts the Flock-tagged readers first mapped that month, newest first. Months with none are left out. Each one carries the date it was first mapped.
| Month | First mapped that month | Top cities |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | 18 | 4 in Marshalltown and 3 in Iowa City |
| Sep 2026 | 40 | 8 in West Des Moines and 5 in Iowa City |
| Aug 2026 | 64 | 16 in Altoona and 4 in Newton |
| Jul 2026 | 50 | 8 in Marshalltown and 4 in Iowa City |
| Jun 2026 | 30 | 4 in Des Moines and 4 in Oelwein |
| May 2026 | 21 | 3 in Oelwein and 2 in Ames |
| Apr 2026 | 23 | 4 in Coralville and 3 in Council Bluffs |
| Mar 2026 | 30 | 6 in Clear Lake and 6 in DeWitt |
| Feb 2026 | 44 | 20 in Council Bluffs and 2 in Burlington |
| Jan 2026 | 20 | 2 in Ames and 2 in Bettendorf |
| Dec 2025 | 32 | 7 in Storm Lake and 6 in Indianola |
| Nov 2025 | 18 | 5 in Burlington and 4 in Sioux City |
Who runs the Flock cameras in Iowa
Most don't say who runs them. The EFF's Atlas of Surveillance lists 32 agencies in Iowa that use plate readers.
- Cedar Rapids Police Department 49
- West Des Moines Police Department 48
- Altoona Police Department 39
- Marshalltown Police Department 30
- Iowa State University Police Department 24
- Urbandale Police Department 24
- Private operators, not named 23
- Clive Police Department 19
- University of Iowa Police Department 19
- Storm Lake Police Department 16
Plate reader law in Iowa
| Topic | Iowa |
|---|---|
| Status | Law |
| Law | Iowa Code § 321P.4 (2024 Acts, ch. 1181, § 4) |
| What it does | Requires the operator of a plate reader to delete plate images and related data within 30 days, unless police copy them for an ongoing criminal case; breaking the rule is a simple misdemeanor. |
| How long it is kept | 30 days (§ 321P.4(1)) |
| Public records law | Iowa Open Records Act, Iowa Code ch. 22 |
| Checked |
See Iowa plate reader law next to the other states.
Flock cameras in Iowa: questions
How many Flock cameras are in Iowa?
816 plate readers tagged Flock Safety are on the map in Iowa, as of November 7, 2026. The real number may be higher or lower: the map shows only the cameras mapped so far.
Which cities in Iowa have the most Flock cameras?
By mapped count: Cedar Rapids (74), West Des Moines (67) and Altoona (57). The city list on this page shows each city with a Flock-tagged reader.
Is each mapped camera still there?
Not always. A point shows where someone mapped a camera. 1 of the 816 carry a date when a volunteer last checked them on the ground.
Iowa's plate reader data
From OpenStreetMap, under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. A free copy goes to anyone who asks: how it is made and how to ask.
Know when cameras in Iowa change.
Free email alerts for new plate readers mapped near your places. One summary email a month.
- When a plate reader is first mapped near you
- New cameras mapped or reported near you
- What plate readers keep, and who runs them
- Your street, your distance, the camera types you pick
1,888 cameras listed or mapped in Iowa so far.
Sources and updates
How this page was made: CamsAhead writes each page type once, then fills it with this place's data from the sources below.
- OpenStreetMap contributors: plate readers, data as of Nov 7, 2026; ODbL 1.0
- EFF Atlas of Surveillance: agencies that use plate readers, data as of Aug 2026; CC BY 4.0
- Iowa Code § 321P.4 (2024 Acts, ch. 1181, § 4): plate reader law, checked Oct 25, 2026
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: public records law, checked Oct 25, 2026
Plate reader points are mapped by OpenStreetMap volunteers (data as of November 7, 2026).
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