SFPD accepts $9.4 million from cryptocurrency billionaire to relocate Real-Time Investigation Center

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The San Francisco Police Department is a step closer to modernizing some of the department's aging tech operations.

Mayor Daniel Lurie just announced the city plans to accept a $9.4 million donation from crypto billionaire and Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen.

The gift would cover the cost to relocate the Real-Time Investigation Center -- also known as R-TIC -- from the Hall of Justice on Bryant Street South of Market-Downtown to an empty space in Ripple's offices on Montgomery Street.

"I know many of you have visited the R-TIC in the old space at 850 Bryant. You know it needed an upgrade. The wiring was outdated. The infrastructure was failing," Lurie said.

"We heard stories where a drone operator is losing suspects because the internet crashed during the pursuit," Larsen said.

The center analyzes drone video and automatic license plate readers to help make arrests.

"It brings together live data across the city -- 911 calls, drones, public safety cameras -- and delivers that information to officers in the field in real time. This is how you make policing more precise," Lurie said.

"It has truly been a game changer. Auto thefts are down 41%," said SFPD Chief Bill Scott.

Since R-TIC launched three months ago, city leaders say it has helped officers make 500 arrests, including 32 this past week. While the city still grapples with a shortage of more than 500 officers, police say drones have been a big help.

"We started the drone problem with city funding, but we needed some assistance to get it to the next level. That's what this funding will do," Scott said.

Electronic Frontier Foundation said more surveillance is not the answer. It stated that surveillance curbs civil liberties and impacts the lives of the city's most vulnerable people.

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It released a statement saying, "...the current crime fall the SFPD is taking credit for is happening nationwide, even in cities that have not eroded democratic principles in order to put drones over the city and a camera on every block."

Larsen said as long as there is property oversight, people should not be concerned about the overreach of technology.

"These professional criminal crews have access to all that tech completely unfettered," Larsen said. "I think the answer is, give these cutting-edge tools to the police, but have the kind of oversight we have in the city."

Larsen said there were four layers of oversight to make the $9.4 million dollar donation to SFPD possible. He said the SF Police Community Foundation, the mayor's office, and the SF Police Commission all had to green-light it.

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On Wednesday, the police commission voted unanimously to accept the offer.

The Board of Supervisors still needs to approve the deal before it becomes official.