Public Safety Committee
April 21, 2026
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: James Beere
City Administrator Interim Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Peregrine Technologies Contract
DATE: April 13, 2026
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution: (1) Authorizing The City Administrator To Enter Into A Three-Year Agreement With Peregrine Technologies For The Provision Of A Law Enforcement Records Search Platform And Related Services For The Oakland Police Department, At A Cost Not To Exceed One Million Twenty-Four Thousand Dollars ($1,024,000) For The Time Period July 1, 2026 To June 30, 2029; And (2) Waiving The Competitive Multiple Step Solicitation Process And The Local/Small Local Business Enterprise Requirements.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Oakland Police Department has utilized a law enforcement records search platform to support criminal investigations and crime analysis since 2012. OPD currently uses SoundThinking CrimeTracer for this purpose. In 2024, OPD had 423 unique user accounts that conducted 204,750 searches through the platform. In 2025, 324 unique user accounts conducted 177,333 searches. The platform is used regularly by sworn field and patrol personnel, investigators, and crime analysts to search across incident reports, arrest records, field contacts, calls for service, and other law enforcement data sources from a single interface.
OPD is seeking to transition from CrimeTracer to Peregrine Technologies as its records search platform vendor. The decision to pursue this transition was driven by two factors. First, CrimeTracer does not provide OPD with adequate data governance controls. OPD cannot control which outside agencies access to OPD data, and the system does not maintain comprehensive audit logs of who searched and viewed OPD data. This limits OPD's ability to conduct meaningful oversight of how its data is being used. Second, a growing number of Bay Area law enforcement agencies have transitioned or are transitioning to Peregrine. As these agencies leave CrimeTracer, their records are no longer available to OPD through that network.
Remaining on CrimeTracer would mean OPD gradually loses access to neighboring agencies' data that is critical to cross-jurisdictional investigations.
REASON FOR URGENCY
OPD's current CrimeTracer contract expires on June 30, 2026. OPD does not intend to renew with CrimeTracer given the data sharing and audit limitations described above. Without an Jestin Johnson (Apr 13, 2026 22:36:06 PDT)
Apr 13, 2026
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Peregrine Technologies Contract
Date: April 13, 2026
Public Safety Committee
April 21, 2026
approved contract with Peregrine in place before that date, OPD will lose access to its records search platform entirely. Investigators, patrol officers, and crime analysts rely on this system daily to conduct criminal investigations, develop leads, identify suspects, support preliminary investigations, and produce crime analysis reports. A gap in service would represent a significant disruption to OPD operations and a potential impact to public safety.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Law enforcement records search platforms allow personnel to search across multiple existing data systems from a single interface rather than querying each system separately. These platforms consolidate data from systems OPD already owns and operates, such as Computer Assisted Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS), into a single searchable location. The platform does not create or collect new data. Personnel can search across multiple data sources at once using a single search bar. Search results can include structured data such as names, dates, and case numbers, as well as unstructured data such as narrative text in police reports. The platform can also organize search results into charts, maps, and timelines to help analysts and investigators identify patterns and connections across cases.
OPD has utilized a records search platform since 2012, initially through Forensic Logic's Law Enforcement Analysis Portal (LEAP). In 2017, Forensic Logic acquired IBM's CopLink platform and merged LEAP into CopLink. On December 1, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 88388 C.M.S., approving Departmental General Order I-24 and the accompanying Surveillance Impact Report for the platform in compliance with Oakland Municipal Code Chapter
9.64. The platform has continued to change hands since then, most recently rebranding to SoundThinking CrimeTracer in 2023. OPD has continued to use this iteration of the platform through the present day. The platform has been a useful investigative tool, helping investigators identify suspects, establish connections between individuals and crime scenes, and develop leads that resulted in arrests in homicide, shooting, robbery, and burglary investigations.
However, OPD has identified significant limitations with the platform that affect data governance and oversight.
On April 2, 2026, the Privacy Advisory Commission approved OPD's 2025 annual surveillance technology report for CrimeTracer, which included a request to transition to Peregrine Technologies as OPD's records search platform vendor.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
This policy action advances the citywide priority of responsive, trustworthy government. OPD is committed to reducing crime and serving the community through fair, quality policing. OPD can more effectively investigate crime and protect public safety through the continued use of a law enforcement records search platform.
Peregrine addresses the data governance and oversight limitations that OPD identified with CrimeTracer. CrimeTracer does not provide OPD with control over which outside agencies can access OPD data. Once OPD data is in the CrimeTracer system, it is available to all subscribing agencies across multiple states. OPD cannot selectively grant or revoke access to individual Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Peregrine Technologies Contract
Date: April 13, 2026
Public Safety Committee
April 21, 2026
agencies. This limits OPD's ability to conduct meaningful oversight of how its data is being used by outside agencies.
Peregrine gives OPD direct control over which agencies can access OPD data. No agency is granted access without OPD authorization. OPD can revoke any agency's access at any time.
By default, all data sharing outside of OPD is disabled. The platform is fully auditable. Every action is logged and traceable, including what data was accessed, by whom, and when. OPD administrators can set automated alerts for suspicious activity such as large-scale data exports, repeated failed login attempts, or data sharing with out-of-state jurisdictions.
A growing number of Bay Area law enforcement agencies have transitioned or are transitioning to Peregrine. As these agencies move their data to Peregrine, their records are no longer available through the CrimeTracer network. Criminal activity in Oakland frequently involves individuals who have contacts with neighboring jurisdictions. Maintaining cross-jurisdictional search access is critical to OPD's investigative capability. Remaining on CrimeTracer would mean OPD gradually loses access to neighboring agencies' data. No other platform currently provides OPD with the same regional coverage that Peregrine does.
Peregrine is hosted in the CJIS-compliant Amazon Web Services Government Cloud. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. The platform supports single sign-on and multi-factor authentication. Peregrine has been reviewed and approved to handle criminal justice information by the California Department of Justice. Peregrine is also SOC 2 compliant.
OPD expects the transition to Peregrine to maintain the investigative capability that the records search platform has provided since 2012, while providing stronger data governance and privacy safeguards for Oakland residents. The transition will also ensure OPD maintains access to neighboring agencies' data as those agencies continue migrating to Peregrine.
Alternative #1 Renew the CrimeTracer subscription
Pros No transition period required. OPD personnel are already familiar with the platform.
Cons OPD would remain without control over third party access to its data. No comprehensive audit capabilities. Diminishing access to neighboring agencies' records as they migrate to Peregrine.
Reason for not
recommending
CrimeTracer does not meet OPD's data governance and oversight requirements. The platform's regional network is shrinking as Bay Area agencies transition to Peregrine.
Alternative #2
Allow the subscription to lapse entirely
Pros Eliminates the cost of a records search platform.
Cons OPD loses the ability to search across multiple data systems from a single interface. OPD personnel conducted over 177,000 searches in 2025. Would significantly impair investigative capability.
Reason for not
recommending
The records search platform is a critical investigative tool used daily by investigators, patrol officers, and crime analysts. Eliminating this capability would represent a significant disruption to OPD operations and a potential impact to public safety.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Peregrine Technologies Contract
Date: April 13, 2026
Public Safety Committee
April 21, 2026
WAIVER RATIONALE
City staff recommends that it is in the best interests of the City to waive the competitive multiple step solicitation process because Peregrine is the only records search platform that provides OPD with direct control over third party data sharing, comprehensive audit logging, and access to the regional network of Bay Area law enforcement agencies that have transitioned or are transitioning to the platform. The value of a records search platform depends on how many agencies are sharing data through it. Law enforcement agencies generally commit to a single platform, meaning their data is only available through that platform's network. OPD considered other vendors but no other platform has the same number of Northern California agencies in its network. A competitive solicitation process would not change this. Additionally, OPD's current CrimeTracer contract expires on June 30, 2026, and a competitive solicitation process would not be completed before that date, resulting in a gap in service that would significantly impact OPD operations.
RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS
This agenda item is a routine operational item and does not relate to any Oakland strategic planning efforts.
FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated cost for Peregrine Technologies is not to exceed three hundred thirty-one thousand dollars ($331,000) for year one, three hundred forty-one thousand dollars ($341,000) for year two, and three hundred fifty-two thousand dollars ($352,000) for year three, for a three- year total not to exceed one million twenty-four thousand dollars ($1,024,000).
A breakdown of the project funding sources is included in Table 1:
Table 1: Project Funding Sources
Fund
Source
Organization Account Project Program Amount
General
Purpose
Fund (1010)
1064
Police
Information
Tech Org
(106410)
54919
Services:
Miscellaneous
Contract
Account
(54919)
DP1000
Administrative
Project
(1000008)
Agency-Wide
Administration
Program
(PS01)
$331,000
1010 106410 54919 1000008 PS01 $341,000
1010 106410 54919 1000008 PS01 $352,000
Total
Project:
$1,024,000
Total
Ongoing:
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Peregrine Technologies Contract
Date: April 13, 2026
Public Safety Committee
April 21, 2026
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No public outreach was deemed necessary for the proposed policy action beyond the standard City Council agenda noticing procedures and the Privacy Advisory Commission review required by Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 9.64. OPD staff collaborated with the Privacy Advisory Commission in the creation of the original use policy (DGO I-24) for the records search platform, which was adopted by City Council in 2020. OPD has submitted annual surveillance technology reports to the Privacy Advisory Commission each year since adoption. The 2025 annual report for CrimeTracer included a request to transition to Peregrine Technologies as OPD's records search platform vendor. On April 2, 2026, the Privacy Advisory Commission approved the annual report and the requested vendor transition. The Privacy Advisory Commission noted that the same use policy that governed CrimeTracer must also govern Peregrine. OPD's revised DGO I-24 is vendor-neutral and applies to any records search platform vendor used by OPD.
COORDINATION
This report and legislation have been reviewed by the Office of the City Attorney and the Budget Bureau.
RACE AND EQUITY
Staff did not complete a Racial Equity Impact Analysis on the recommended policy action. This is a vendor transition for an existing investigative technology that has been in use by OPD since 2012. Going forward, the following data will be tracked in order to measure the short- and long- term impacts of this policy action: any identified policy violations or unauthorized use, community complaints received, and data breach incidents. This data will be reported annually to the Privacy Advisory Commission and City Council through the surveillance technology annual reporting process required by Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 9.64.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Peregrine Technologies Contract
Date: April 13, 2026
Public Safety Committee
April 21, 2026
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution: (1) Authorizing The City Administrator To Enter Into A Three-Year Agreement With Peregrine Technologies For The Provision Of A Law Enforcement Records Search Platform And Related Services For The Oakland Police Department, At A Cost Not To Exceed One Million Twenty-Four Thousand Dollars ($1,024,000) For The Time Period July 1, 2026 To June 30, 2029; And (2) Waiving The Competitive Multiple Step Solicitation Process And The Local/Small Local Business Enterprise Requirements.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Sgt. Yun Zhou at 510-238-3821.
Reviewed by:
Omar Daza-Quiroz, Acting Deputy Chief
OPD, Bureau of Investigations
Dr. Tracey Jones
Police Services Manager
OPD, BRM, Research and Planning Unit
Prepared by:
Yun Zhou, Sergeant
OPD, BOI, Criminal Investigations Division
Attachments (2):
A: Peregrine Overview Document
B: Security at Peregrine