Atlanta's 5,000 Flock Cameras Fail to Improve Crime Clearance Rates
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Atlanta operates more than 5,000 Flock automatic license plate readers, yet the city's police department has not seen an increase in crime clearance rates. FBI Crime Data Explorer figures analyzed by the Atlanta Community Press Collective show APD's homicide clearance rate fell to 48% in 2025, the worst comparable year, and motor vehicle theft clearance was 7% overall from Q4 2020 through Q2 2026. The data run counter to Flock Safety's 2024 claim that one additional LPR camera per sworn officer correlates with a 9.1% rise in clearance rates.
Key Facts
- Atlanta operates more than 5,000 Flock automatic license plate readers, making it the most surveilled U.S. city with over twice as many cameras per capita as Washington, DC.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer data analyzed by Atlanta Community Press Collective show Atlanta Police Department's homicide clearance rate at 48% in 2025, the worst comparable year since 2021.
- Between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2026, Atlanta reported 19,841 motor vehicle thefts and 1,382 clearances, a 7% clearance rate.
- Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said in January that APD reached a 77.55% homicide clearance rate in 2025, while FBI data reflect 48% for the same year.
- Flock Safety claimed in 2024 that one additional LPR camera per sworn officer correlates with a 9.1% increase in clearance rate.
Atlanta's Flock Camera Footprint
Atlanta operates more than 5,000 Flock automatic license plate readers. The city is home to Flock Safety and has seen an eightfold increase in the number of Flock cameras. Atlanta is the most surveilled city in the United States, with over twice as many cameras per capita as Washington, DC. The camera buildout has not produced a corresponding increase in Atlanta Police Department crime clearance rates.
Clearance Rate Trends
FBI Crime Data Explorer figures analyzed by the Atlanta Community Press Collective show APD's homicide clearance rate was 48% in 2025, the worst among comparable years from 2021 through 2025. The department's motor vehicle theft clearance rate fell from 9.9% in 2021 to 4.9% in 2023 and 3.9% in 2024, before rising to 10.2% in 2025 amid an overall decrease in thefts. Between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2026, Atlanta reported 19,841 motor vehicle thefts and 1,382 clearances, a 7% clearance rate. Clearance rates for homicide, robbery, miscellaneous larceny, and shoplifting declined between 2021 and 2025. The declines occurred despite an eightfold increase in Flock cameras.
Data Discrepancies
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said in January that APD reached a 77.55% homicide clearance rate in 2025. FBI Crime Data Explorer data show a 48% APD homicide clearance rate for the same year. Flock Safety claimed in 2024 that one additional LPR camera per sworn officer correlates with a 9.1% increase in clearance rate. The Atlanta Community Press Collective found no such correlation in APD clearance data between 2021 and 2025.
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Atlanta's 5,000 Flock Cameras Fail to Improve Crime Clearance Rates
