Presentation — San Mateo City Council, October 5, 2026

REAL TIME

INFORMATION CENTER

REAL TIME

INFORMATION CENTER
STUDY SESSION OCTOBER 2026
San Mateo Police Department
AGENDA
I. Introduction Chief Ed Barberini
II. RTIC Overview Police Technical Services Administrator Kelly O’Keefe III. ALPR Technology Lieutenant Stephan Casazza
IV. Drone as a First Responder Lieutenant Anthony Riccardi V. Closing Remarks Chief Ed Barberini
Think of it as a high-tech command center
that bridges the gap between data and
frontline action — turning raw information
into something officers can use right now to
stay safe and be more effective.

Who are we?
ALPR
FUSUS

INTELLIGENCE

ELEMENTS OF AN RTIC
Property crime is one of the most prevalent
issues impacting communities within the bay
area. Stolen vehicles often go hand in hand
with package theft, retail theft, and robberies.

Integrating Department drones and public
cameras allows the real time information center to
get eyes on an active scene within seconds of the
call for service - preserving resources and preparing
officers for unfolding incidents.

The real time operators are well versed in various
intelligence databases and tactics. Timely
intelligence allows for officers to identify safety
risks and respond more prepared.

Body Worn Cameras
Operators can monitor officer’s
body worn cameras in real time.

When an officer responds to an
incident and is thrust into an active
situation, the operator can monitor
their cameras until their cover
responds. This enables a level of
officer safety when situations
quickly turn in the field. City Cameras
RTIC operators utilize city-owned
cameras to live stream calls for service
and special events. The cameras were
strategically placed to bring problem
areas into view; helping reduce
vandalism and other crimes occurring on
City-owned property.

Video Technology in Fusus
Intelligence
Work directly with the
reporting parties to get
cell phone videos and
pictures.

COMMUNICATION RESEARCH STRATEGY
Utilize police databases
to retrieve intel within
moments of receiving
the call- even before an
officer arrives on scene.

Work with field personnel
to strategize best use for
the operators during
preplanned events.

RTIC-Assisted Incidents

STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - OPENJUSTICE

PROPERTY CRIME
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
0 500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
RTIC/DFR Launch — 2024
Flock Introduced — End of 2020
SMPD Five Year Crime Trends
SMPD Five Year Crime Trends

STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - OPENJUSTICE

STOLEN VEHICLES
Jan 2020 Jul 2020 Jan 2021 Jul 2021 Jan 2022 Jul 2022 Jan 2023 Jul 2023 Jan 2024 Jul 2024 Jan 2025 0 100
200
300
400
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Flock Introduced — 2020
RTIC/DFR Launch — 2024
SMPD Five Year Crime Trends

STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - OPENJUSTICE

VIOLENT CRIME
Label
Viole
n
t
Crim
e
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
0 50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
RTIC/DFR Launch — 2024
Flock Introduced — 2021
Data from 10/24 to 08/26
1,500+
Incidents Assisted
418
Cases Generated
339
Cases with a Criminal
Component
79%
Cases with a Suspect
Identified
RTIC Activity Since October 2024

RTIC-ASSISTED CRIMINAL CASES
57%
339 cases with a criminal component

DEPARTMENT OVERALL
48%
All Department cases during the same period
The two case populations may differ in case type, seriousness, available evidence, or other factors. The rates are shown for descriptive context only; no causal relationship is implied.

Arrest Rates
Outcome
Officers located and arrested
the suspect; the weapon was
a replica firearm.

CASE STUDY
01Initial 02 03 04
Report
Limited
Details
RTIC
Intervention
Case
Link
05Confirmation 06Technology
Utilized
Male in a white
Jeep driving
erratically and
pointing a gun
at pedestrians.

Officers had
minimal
information—
only a vehicle
description.

Operator
recognized the
suspect’s M.O. from
a similar incident
the previous month.

Retrieved prior
case file, identified
license plate, and
contacted original
reporting party.

Reporting party
verified the vehicle
through unique
identifiers.

Operator used ALPR
to locate the vehicle
near the scene.

Collaboration & Partnerships
Support multi-agency responses and collaborate with other City Departments including Public Works, Community
Development, and San Mateo Consolidated Fire.

Data-Driven Strategy
Use trends and incident data to guide patrol deployments and city resource allocation.

Vision Forward
Serve multiple jurisdictions and operate as a regional hub for surrounding agencies
Promote community involvement in the project and
continue to establish best practices.

THE FUTURE

OF RTIC

AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE

READER (ALPR) TECHNOLOGY

AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE

READER (ALPR) TECHNOLOGY
What is an Automated License Plate Reader?
Authorized personnel can search the information to help identify vehicles, generate investigative leads, and enhance public safety.

A camera that captures license plates and vehicle characteristicssuch as make, color, and body type-along with the date, time, and location of the observation.

HOW THE INFORMATION IS USED
San Mateo Police Department uses both mobile and fixed ALPR technology.

ALPR Systems Used by San Mateo Police Department

FLOCK SAFETY

FIXED ALPR
Uses stationary cameras strategically placed throughout the community.
flock safety

KEY FEATURES

MOBILE FIXED

AXON FLEET

MOBILE ALPR
Installed on equipped patrol vehicles and used while officers are in the field.

KEY FEATURES
ALPR – Automatically reads license plates encountered by the patrol vehicle and can provide alerts or investigative information.

Forward-Facing/Dash Camera - Records activity in front of the patrol vehicle, including traffic stops, pursuits, and other incidents.

In-Car Camera – Captures activity inside the patrol vehicle, including the rear-seat area used for prisoner transport.

Integrated with Body-Worn Cameras – Fleet and Axon bodyworn cameras can operate as part of the same evidence ecosystem, helping coordinate recording and organize
associated video evidence.

Data Sharing - We are not sharing our Axon ALPR data with other agencies.

AXON
MOBILE
ALPR – Captures plates, including partial and temporary plates, along with vehicle information.

Real-Time Hotlist Alerts – Checks detections against
configured/NCIC hotlists and sends alerts when a potential match occurs.

Vehicle Signature Technology – Searches by make, color, body type, racks, wheels, tool boxes, and other distinguishing features, including cases where a readable plate isn’t available.

Investigative Search – Searches historical vehicle detections using full/part plate and vehicle characteristics to develop leads.

Flock Safety
66 Total cameras
54 ALPR cameras
12 VMS cameras
(video only)
Stationary cameras provide fixed-location vehicle observations that support real-time alerts and retrospective investigative searches.

How Does a Flock Search Work?

1. Offense Type
Select the offense type that best matches
the investigation.

2. Case Number
Enter the case number to connect the search to the
related investigation.

3. Reason for Search
Briefly explain the legitimate law enforcement
purpose for accessing ALPR data.

Why do these fields matter?
Required fields create a clear, reviewable audit trail.

The audit trail records who conducted the search,
what was searched, and the documented purpose.

This supports accountability, transparency, and
compliance with department policy.

How Do Hotlist Alerts Work?
Flock cameras automatically compare detected
license plates against Hotlist records.

Hotlists identify vehicles of interest, such as:

Stolen vehicles
Wanted vehicles
Vehicles associated with specific lawenforcement investigations Missing/endangered person(s)
Flock can receive Hotlist information originating
from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

Custom Hotlist Alerts
Agency-created list of vehicles or plates
tied to a legitimate law-enforcement
purpose.

Entries are manually added by authorized
personnel.

May include BOLOs, wanted vehicles,
investigative leads, and
missing/endangered persons.

Flock cameras automatically check plates
and send real-time alerts on matches.

Data Sharing
Local Control
San Mateo PD sets data sharing settings and policies. Nothing is shared unless we choose to share it.

Authorization Required
Any sharing of ALPR data must be specifically authorized by San Mateo PD through a data sharing agreement.

Consistent with Policy and Law
All data sharing agreements must be consistent with San Mateo PD policies and applicable law.

Purpose-Driven
We only share data when it supports legitimate lawenforcement purposes and enhances public safety.

Network Data Sharing
The organizations below have been granted access to San Mateo PD data:

What Flock LPRs Do and Don’t Do
What Flock LPRs Collect (and What We Don’t)

COLLECTED NOT COLLECTED
Bottom line: Flock’s LPR is not connected to DMV records and does not build a database of people, only vehicle attributes already visible in public.

Federal Sharing
Safeguards
Flock does not contract with
ICE.

No Data
Resale
Flock does not sell or share
LPR data and is not a data
broker.

Breach & Security Risk
Flock uses CJIS-aligned
controls (including encryption
at rest and in transit) and our
cloud has never been
compromised.

Built in
Transparency
Flock offers permanent audit
trails, automatic data deletion,
and transparency portals.

License Plate Text, Date/Time, Camera Location, and Basic Vehicle Attributes (Make/Model/Color) - All Observable
From Public Roadways.

Names, Addresses, Phone Numbers, Driver Identity,
Biometric Identifiers, or Other Confidential Personal
Information.

California Specific Guardrails
SB 34
ALPR Privacy & Data Sharing
Requires safeguards for ALPR data.

Requires a public ALPR use and privacy
policy.

Limits ALPR data sharing to California public
agencies.

SB 54
Immigration Enforcement
Limits local resources used for immigration
enforcement.

We do not share ALPR data for immigrationenforcement purposes.

Restricts ALPR access and sharing
consistent with state and federal law.

Key Distinctions: SB 34 governs ALPR privacy and sharing; SB 54 limits use for immigration enforcement.

Flock
Accountability&
Transparency
Every search is tied to an authorized user.

Regular audits support policy compliance
and help identify potential misuse.

Users document the offense type, reason for
the search, and case number.

Audits show who searched, what was
searched, and why.

All searches are recorded and reviewable.

AUTHORIZED ACCESS

ONGOING REVIEW

REQUIRED PURPOSE

CLEAR VISIBILITY

AUDIT TRAIL
Audit Assistance
Surfaces atypical search patterns and flags them for admin review, making it easier to have oversight on how the system is used.

Flock recommends best auditing practices for customers, encouraging a reliable rhythm of oversight.

Updated the public portal
with the Public Audit, ALPR
Policy, SOP, and verified
camera count.

Restricted Admin access to
Lt. Pak, Lt. Casazza, and Sgt.

Trujillo.

Removed sharing with all
university police
departments.

Moved network and
organizational audits from
quarterly to monthly.

Reviewed and cleaned up
the ALPR Policy and SOP.

Reviewed all user roles and
assigned personnel to the
correct permissions.

Limited approved sharing
permissions to Search and
Alerts only.

Strengthened oversight of
system access, sharing,
search documentation, and
user permissions.

Added another case # or
CAD # to the search platform
and removed “Other” as a
search reason.

Limited Custom Hotlist
creation to RTIC, Supervisors,
Bureau, or CRU.

Centralized Sharing Request
approvals through Lt.

Casazza.

Policy & Public
Transparency
Sharing
Controls
Auditing &
Oversight
Access & User
Controls
Accountability & Transparency
Training & Ongoing Compliance
Standardizing training, documentation, and continuing education.

TRAINING DOCUMENTATION
Entered Employee Flock training
records into METR, including the
date of training. Retrained
department users so everyone has
current knowledge of the Flock
System.

FLOCK COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT
Flock Committee members engage
in ongoing Flock Academy training
and professional development.

Continuing education keeps
committee members current on
system capabilities and safeguards.

PATROL SERGEANT TRAINING
Provided training on system use,
Flock Academy, Audit Assistance
features, Hotlists, Public Audit, and
Sharing Requests. Reinforced
expectations for accountability,
proper system use, and supervisory
oversight.

Result: Stronger governance, tighter access, controlled sharing, more frequent auditing, and better trained users.

Without the Flock camera,
we would not have had a
lead on the suspect vehicle.

SuccessStory

A REAL IMPACT ON PUBLIC SAFETY
01 The Crime
02 Flock Lead
03 Investigation
04 Arrest
12/19/2020
A suspect, who was lying
in wait, approached the
victim as he approached
his car. The suspect shot
the victim several times,
killing him, and then fled
the scene.

Through further
investigation and with
the assistance of a
newly placed Flock
camera, the suspect’s
vehicle was identified.

A lengthy investigation
led to two suspects
who lived in Southern
California.

The two suspects
were eventually
located and arrested.

Had it not been for Flock, this
could have caused a delay in
tracking this suspect down.

SuccessStory

A REAL IMPACT ON PUBLIC SAFETY
01 The Crime
02 Flock Lead
03 Investigation
04 Arrest
8/04/2024
The suspect (victim’s
boyfriend) killed his
girlfriend, who was 9
months pregnant. After
killing her, the suspect
stole the victim’s car and
fled the scene.

Through further
investigation and by
utilizing Flock, it was
learned that the
suspect had fled to
Southern California.

In coordination with
Southern California law
enforcement agencies,
the suspect was tracked
down in the victim’s car.

After a standoff with
the suspect, he was
taken into custody.
05 Justice
The suspect was
convicted of murder (x2)
and is currently serving
his sentence in prison.

ALPR is one tool that helps our officers protect this
community, but how we use that tool matters.

Our commitment is to use it with purpose, with
appropriate safeguards, and with meaningful
oversight.

We will continue to evaluate our practices, protect
privacy, and remain transparent and accountable
to the community we serve.

Public safety and public trust
must always go hand in hand.

Our Commitment to Our Community

DRONE AS A FIRST

RESPONDER (DFR)

DRONE AS A FIRST

RESPONDER (DFR)
Drone as a First Responder
A public safety tool that responds to a
call for service ahead of the officers,
providing aerial intelligence to the units
on the ground. This allows us to assess
the situation instantly, send the
appropriate resources, and in many
cases, cancel the dispatch entirely so
police officers don't have to enter a
neighborhood unnecessarily.

Drone as a First Responder
X10 Docks – 3
Docks are stationary and flown
remotely from the RTIC.

X10 Field Deployed – 3
Field deployed drones are deployed
from our patrol vehicles.

R10 Interior – 5
R10 drones are deployed inside
structures ahead of officers keeping
them out of harm’s way. SMPD has partnered with Skydio for DFR.

Why do we have a
DFR Program?
Rapid Situational Awareness
Search and Rescue
Fire Watch and Firefighting
Critical Operations Support
Increased Officer Safety
Reduced Use of Force
Delivery of Life-Saving Payloads
De-escalation of situations
HAZMAT incidents
DFR Workflow
Begins with a
documented
public safety
purpose.
1 Addresses an
identified
concern
within a
defined area.
2 Limits
observation to
the purpose of
the assignment.
3 Has a defined
end point.
4 Does not
permit random
patrol flights or
general
surveillance.
5 Protecting Privacy
Protecting community privacy is part of how we operate the DFR program.

During a flight, our pilots keep the camera pointed toward the horizon to reduce incidental recording of people and private property along the flight path. Upon arrival, the camera focuses on the incident and the information needed to assist first responders. The process is repeated for return flights.

We record every DFR flight from start to finish. That recording preserves a record of the operation that can be reviewed to evaluate how the drone and camera were used.

The data is automatically uploaded to our CJIS compliant evidence software.

These safeguards reduce unnecessary observation and help protect community privacy.

DFR Accountability: From Launch to Landing
1 Authorized
purpose
2 Flight recorded
3 Camera use
documented
4 Role-based
access
5 Secured CJIS
Compliant Cloud
6 Access audit trail
7 Retention/
deletion
8 Supervisor/Program
Review
SMPD has a DFR program
transparency page available
to the public
Flight logs and live flights are
monitored weekly by the
program manager
DFR Policy is published online
Transparency
What We Do
Respond to calls for service
Assist with the apprehension of criminal offenders
To protect life, limb, and property
Crime scene reconstruction / Mapping
UAS program readiness activities including, but not limited to, training, certification, evaluation, and maintenance.

AUTHORIZED USES PER OUR POLICY
Only authorized operators who have completed the required training shall be permitted to operate the sUAS for the following purposes:

Search and rescue / Disaster response
Acts of terrorism / Mass casualty incidents
For infrastructure inspections emergency management and disaster response, or surveying and mapping.

Individuals in physical or mental distress
What We Don’t Do

UNAUTHORIZED USES PER OUR POLICY
To conduct random surveillance activities.

To target a person based solely on actual or perceived characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, economic status, age, cultural group, or disability.

To harass, intimidate, or discriminate against any individual or group.

To conduct any business other than official Department business.

The UAS shall not be weaponized
There is no sharing network.

Data Security
Vendor access
SMPD controls all access to its DFR data.

Data ownership
We own all drone data.

Evidence storage
All drone video is automatically uploaded to our secure CJIS compliant software.

Program manager notifications:

All drone flights are sent via notification to the program manager.

Authorized Users
Only authorized viewers can see the drone video.
1 Network security
2 4
5 6
7 Secure link access:

Flight video is shared via a secure link to authorized viewers. 3 The RTIC helps first responders understand what is happening at an incident. DFR provides a live aerial view that RTIC personnel can use to relay relevant information to officers and other emergency responders.

This can help responders locate someone who needs
assistance, recognize hazards, and choose a safer approach before arriving, improving officer safety.

Using drone video within the RTIC does not expand the
authorized purpose of the flight. The same mission limits, privacy protections, and restrictions on access and use continue to apply.

RTIC Integration
DFR Impact: 2024 to Present
3,348
Total Flights
694
People of Interest Located
414
Vehicles of Interest Located
116
Arrests Assisted
9 Search and Rescue
6 Scene Reconstructions
Not Just a Crime Fighter
Organized Retail Theft
4th of July Vehicle Pursuit
Injured Hiker at
Laurelwood Park
Foster City Fire

THANK YOU
S T U D Y S E S S I O N O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6

San Mateo City CouncilOctober 5, 2026

San Mateo City Council
October 5, 2026