San Mateo County
County record. Includes every city and agency within San Mateo County.
Technology presence
What these categories mean
- ALPR
- Automated license plate readers (ALPR): camera systems that automatically capture, read, and log vehicle license plates with location and time, producing a searchable record of vehicle movements.
- Fixed cameras & RTCC
- Agency-operated fixed video cameras and the real-time crime centers (RTCC) that aggregate live and recorded feeds for monitoring. Extends the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas, which enumerates real-time crime centers and camera registries but not standalone fixed-camera estates.
- Face recognition
- Software that matches faces in images or video against a reference database to identify or verify individuals.
- Drones / UAS
- Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly called drones, operated by an agency for overhead observation, imaging, or sensing.
- Gunshot detection
- Networks of acoustic sensors that detect and locate suspected gunfire and alert an agency.
- Body-worn & dashcam
- Officer body-worn and in-vehicle dashboard cameras that record encounters; public access to the footage is frequently restricted.
- Doorbell & camera registry
- Programs that give an agency access to privately owned camera footage: doorbell-camera partnerships, citizen camera registries, and private-camera integration platforms.
- Cell-site simulators
- Devices that mimic cell towers to locate or identify nearby mobile phones. They are often called Stingrays, or IMSI catchers after the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number that identifies each phone on a network. Adjacent: communications surveillance outside the visual/sensor core.
- Predictive policing
- Software that forecasts where crime may occur or who may be involved, to direct policing. Adjacent: analytics rather than a sensing deployment.
- Social-media monitoring
- Tools that collect and analyze public social-media activity for an agency. Adjacent: open-source/communications monitoring outside the visual/sensor core.
The record, by agency
East Palo Alto Police Department
The East Palo Alto Police Department operates 25 Flock Safety automated license plate readers and other cameras as of June 2025. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety
The East Palo Alto Police Department started using ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology in 2007.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Business WireCity of East Palo AltoCity of East Palo Alto
Belmont Police Department
The Belmont Police Department installed ten Flock Safety automated license plate readers in March 2025.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Belmont Police Department
The Belmont Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Belmont
Pacifica Police Department
The Pacifica Police Department operates automated license plate readers. In 2024, the Pacifica City Council approved 10 fixed ALPRs and 13 ALPRs for department vehicles.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Pacifica Police DepartmentCoastside News
The Pacifica Police Department began using body-worn cameras in 2017.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of PacificaPacifica Police Department Facebook
Menlo Park Police Department
The Menlo Park Police Department sues automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Menlo Park Police DepartmentMenlo Park Police DepartmentAlmanac News
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
As of April 2024, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office operates 66 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency also has 20 Flock Safety automated license plate readers in the town of Woodside.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has run about 2,000 searches with Clearview AI face recognition technology, according to records obtained by Buzzfeed.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Buzzfeed News
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office employs ShopSpotter gunshot detection technology.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): ShotSpotter.comSuperior Court of California
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
San Mateo Police Department
As of April 2024, the San Mateo Police Department operates 31 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
The San Mateo Police Department currently has four drones and received a grant to purchase three more from Axon in 2023.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Mateo Daily Journal
In February 2018, the San Mateo Police Department announced that all officers would be equipped with Axon body-worn cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): NIXLECity of San MateoCity of San Mateo
Atherton Police Department
As of April 2024, the Atherton Police Department operates 49 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 365 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
The Atherton Police Department uses body-worn cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Atherton Police DepartmentCity of Atherton
The Atheron Police Department has been using Clearview AI face recognition technology as recently as February 2022.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Atherton
Redwood City Police Department
As of April 2024, the Redwood City Police Department operates 25 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverRWC Pulse
The U.S. Department of Justice awarded $150,146 to the Redwood City Police Department in 2018 as part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance's body-worn camera grant program.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): U.S Department of Justicewww.ravenreport.orgwww.smdailyjournal.com
The Redwood City Police Department has used ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology since 1996.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Redwood City Police DepartmentWired
Colma Police Department
As of April 2024, the Colma Police Department operates 10 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverKRON
Foster City Police Department
As of April 2024, the Foster City Police Department operates 20 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
Hillsborough Police Department
As of April 2024, the Hillsborough Police Department operates 22 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
South San Francisco Police Department
As of April 2024, the South San Francisco Police Department operates 28 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
San Bruno Police Department
The San Bruno Police Department operates automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Bruno Police DepartmentSan Mateo Daily Journal
The San Bruno Police Department uses Axon body-worn cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Bruno Police Facebook pageCity of San Bruno
Brisbane Police Department
The Brisbane Police Department usees Flock Safety automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Brisbane Police Department Instagram PageBrisbane Polcie DepartmentBrisbane Police
Burlingame Police Department
The Burlingame Police Department uses Flock Safety automatedl license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Burlingame Police DepartmentBurlingame Police DepartmentThe Daily Journal
Daly City Police Department
The Daly City Police Department operates Flock Safety automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Daly City Police DepartmentCalifornia State AuditorDaly City Police Department
Millbrae Police Department
The Millbrae City Council approved a five-year contract with Flock Safety for 23 automated license plate readers in November 2021.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): The Daily Journal
San Mateo County Sheriff
ALPR in use by San Mateo County Sheriff, on the public record through two independent sources: news reporting that names the agency as operating the technology, and requests received on the agency's own public records request log that reference it.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): News coverageUnited States records-law analysis
Source: EFF Atlas of Surveillance (Electronic Frontier Foundation & University of Nevada, Reno — Reynolds School of Journalism) · CC BY 4.0 · retrieved July 2026