MapQuest Adds Layar Surveillance Showing License Plate Reader Locations
MapQuest's new Surveillance layer plots license plate readers from Flock and other vendors as clickable eye icons, but the company won't say how it maps them.
MapQuest added a Surveillance layer to its navigation app this week that shows where automatic license plate readers are located, according to CNET. The feature plots cameras from Flock and a long list of other vendors.
MapQuest said in a post on Bluesky that the app displays reader locations from Flock and many other companies. The vendors listed include Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia and Verkada.
To switch it on, users open the MapQuest app, tap the Layers icon and turn on the Surveillance option. Readers appear on the map as tiny eyeballs; clicking one shows the type of reader, such as dome or fixed, along with its exact coordinates.
MapQuest did not say how it knows where the license plate readers are located.
Earlier mapping moves
In August 2025, MapQuest refused to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America on its maps despite an executive order from President Donald Trump. The company later moved onto Android Auto, pitching itself as an alternative to Google Maps on car dashboards.
License plate readers have existed for decades and more than 140,000 are deployed across the United States. Other apps that reveal reader locations include DeFlock, FlockHopper, Pelican and LPR Maps, some of which rely on crowdsourcing. Flock data has been misused in the past, including cases of police officers stalking ex-spouses and girlfriends, and drivers being wrongly pulled over and accused of stealing their own cars.
Quick answers
How do I turn on MapQuest's Surveillance layer?
Open the MapQuest app, tap the Layers icon and switch on the Surveillance option. License plate readers then appear as tiny eyeballs on the map.
Which license plate reader companies appear in the MapQuest layer?
MapQuest lists Flock along with Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia and Verkada.
What do you see when you tap a reader on the MapQuest map?
Clicking a reader icon shows the type of reader, such as dome or fixed, and its exact coordinates.