San Francisco could soon see its police technology overhauled with a hefty $9.4 million donation from Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen. The funds, aimed at propelling the San Francisco Police Department’s Real Time Investigations Center into the modern age, would facilitate the purchase of new equipment such as drones and support a move to a more technologically reliable space. The San Francisco Chronicle reports this gift is part of Larsen’s ongoing effort to back public safety initiatives in the city.
The current Real Time Investigations Center is housed in an inadequate structure plagued by infrastructure issues. SFPD spokesperson Evan Sernoffsky told the San Francisco Chronicle how the team “cobbled together our current (Real-Time Investigations Center) with everything we basically had lying around.” In addition to relocating the unit, the proposed donation would cover a year and a half’s sublease for an office at 315 Montgomery St.
While many locals have welcomed the technology in response to the city’s high crime rates, privacy advocacy groups express disapproval, citing fears of potential abuse. Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, highlighted concerns over the control and oversight of police surveillance, telling Mission Local, “By taking money from a very rich person, you’re relinquishing even the power of the pocketbook.” The sentiment underscores unease around wealthy individuals’ influence on law enforcement tools and policies.
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