CamsAhead

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Press and data use

CamsAhead is an independent map of the cameras on public roads in the US. It is free, with no sign-up. Reporters and researchers can ask for its data as files. This page gives the key numbers with their dates, a short description, logo files and the data licenses, plus a line to cite each dataset.

Checked

Key numbers

Each number below comes from the data. Its date is in the row, or in the Sources and updates block at the foot.

Volunteers map license plate readers on OpenStreetMap. Speed and red light cameras come from the lists that cities and states publish. Some come from public records, marked unverified.

NumberWhat it countsSourceAs of
156,883 Cameras in the US Official lists; OpenStreetMap contributors Lists checked since October 21, 2026; plate readers November 7, 2026
145,670 Plate readers mapped in the US, in 50 states and DC OpenStreetMap contributors November 7, 2026
116,710 Of those, plate readers tagged Flock Safety (maker or brand tag) OpenStreetMap contributors November 7, 2026
21,701 Plate readers mapped in California OpenStreetMap contributors November 7, 2026
1,169 Plate readers that agencies list themselves, counted apart from the mapped ones Agency lists Lists checked since October 21, 2026
1,089 Speed camera locations on official lists, 1,084 of them on the map City and state lists Lists checked since October 21, 2026
628 Red light camera locations on current lists, plus 86 from public records marked unverified City lists; public records Lists checked since October 21, 2026
9,410 Traffic cameras Caltrans and other official lists Lists checked since October 21, 2026
125 Los Angeles: approved speed camera locations. 26 in the warning period, 0 issuing tickets, 99 under construction LADOT November 7, 2026
Dec 25, 2026 Los Angeles: first tickets expected. A CamsAhead calculation: the warning start plus the 60-day warning period in state law AB 645; LADOT November 7, 2026

About CamsAhead

In one line

Cameras, in plain view. The cameras on your streets, mapped and explained. CamsAhead.com

In a paragraph

CamsAhead is an independent map of the cameras on public roads in the US (free, no account). It covers speed, red light, plate reader, traffic and other enforcement cameras. Each one shows what it does, its status in the source's own words, who runs it where that is known, and a dated source.

Speed and red light cameras come from the lists of the cities and states that run them. Where a city has no current list, public records fill in, marked unverified. Volunteers map plate readers on OpenStreetMap.

Some cameras check a moment. Some keep a record of every car that passes.

Read the manifesto: "Seen is fine. Remembered is different."

What is on the site

Using the data

Use the data, the maps and the charts in a story or a study. Credit CamsAhead.com with a link. The maps and charts are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0; each dataset keeps the license of the source it comes from, as the table shows.

DataCreditLicenseFiles
License plate readers © OpenStreetMap contributors Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. CamsAhead's plate reader data and change log use the same license; share any changed copy under it. A free copy on request, on the data page
Speed cameras (California city lists) The list named in each row (source column) Public records, each source's terms For reporters and researchers, on request
Red light intersections (LA County lists) The list named in each row (source_url column) Public records, each source's terms For reporters and researchers, on request
Caltrans traffic cameras Camera data: Caltrans, CC BY. CC BY For reporters and researchers, on request

The other official lists are linked on Sources, each with its own terms.

How to read the numbers

  • Mapped means a volunteer added the point to OpenStreetMap. So a first-mapped date is a mapping date, not the day the camera went up on the street.
  • Statuses are the source's own words. A date marked "expected" is a CamsAhead calculation from the law, not a date the city set.
  • The speed file's fines_start column can hold an expected date, so check the city's speed camera page, which shows how sure each date is.
  • Some city lists give streets only. Those rows have no map point, so their lat and lng are empty in the CSV.
  • Showing the map on screen? Keep the credit in its corner in view.

Every term, with its limits: How CamsAhead counts cameras.

Cite this data

Copy one line for each dataset you use, and link to the data page where you can.

  • Speed cameras: Data: CamsAhead.com, Speed cameras, as of November 7, 2026.
  • Red light intersections: Data: CamsAhead.com, Red light intersections, as of October 22, 2026.
  • License plate readers: Data: CamsAhead.com, License plate readers, as of November 7, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0.
  • Caltrans traffic cameras: Data: CamsAhead.com, Caltrans traffic cameras, as of November 7, 2026. Camera data: Caltrans, CC BY.

Citing a page instead of a file? Give its title and address, plus the date shown in the Sources and updates block at its foot.

Logos

Logo files are SVG, so they stay sharp at any size, from a phone screen to a printed page. Write the name as one word: CamsAhead. The site is CamsAhead.com.

FileWhat it isFor
/brand/lockup-light.svg Mark and name Light backgrounds
/brand/lockup-dark.svg Mark and name Dark backgrounds
/brand/lockup-on-green.svg Mark and name The brand green
/brand/mark-lg-light.svg Mark, large cut Light backgrounds
/brand/mark-lg-dark.svg Mark, large cut Dark backgrounds
/brand/mark-lg-on-green.svg Mark, large cut The brand green
/brand/mark-md-light.svg Mark, medium cut Light backgrounds
/brand/mark-md-dark.svg Mark, medium cut Dark backgrounds
/brand/mark-md-on-green.svg Mark, medium cut The brand green
/brand/mark-xs-light.svg Mark, smallest cut Light backgrounds
/brand/mark-xs-dark.svg Mark, smallest cut Dark backgrounds
/brand/mark-xs-on-green.svg Mark, smallest cut The brand green
/brand/app-icon.svg App icon, square tile Any background
/icons/icon-512.png App icon, PNG Where SVG won't load

Press contact

For press and licensing questions, email hello@camsahead.com and say what you need and when your deadline is. The contact page has the rest.

Anyone can help keep the map right. Tap "Wrong or gone?" on a camera to report it, or report a camera that the map is missing.

Sources and updates

Plate reader points are mapped by OpenStreetMap volunteers (data as of November 7, 2026).

How CamsAhead counts cameras · Report a problem · Report a camera

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