The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) launched its upgraded Real-Time Investigation Center (RTIC) in December 2025, marking a significant shift in how the city approaches crime prevention, emergency response, and interagency coordination. The RTIC has demonstrated measurable results: assisting in hundreds of arrests, contributing to historic reductions in crime, and serving as a force multiplier for a department facing ongoing staffing challenges.
Responding to the Challenges of Modern Urban Policing
Policing in San Francisco presents a unique set of operational challenges. As a dense urban environment with large-scale public events, complex transportation corridors, and significant shifts in daily population, the city requires rapid, coordinated responses to incidents ranging from violent crime and auto theft to missing persons and individuals in crisis.
The RTIC was designed to address these demands by centralizing real-time intelligence and operational support. Staffed by trained personnel, the center consolidates data from a wide range of technologies including drones, automated license plate readers (ALPR), fixed and mobile public safety cameras, and real-time video feeds into a single operational picture that can be shared immediately with officers in the field.
This approach enables faster responses, improved situational awareness, and more precise deployment of resources during crimes in progress and critical incidents.
Mayor Daniel Lurie described the RTIC as a turning point for public safety in the city, noting that real-time information allows officers to respond more quickly, make better-informed decisions, and operate more safely, while also delivering tangible results for the community.
Real Results in San Francisco
Since its relocation to a modern, purpose-built facility in the Financial District, the SFPD RTIC has been fully refreshed with new workstations, advanced video wall systems, and upgraded technology that enhance situational awareness and operational efficiency. While the center has historically assisted in over 500 arrests since its inception, this latest iteration enables even faster, more precise coordination of ALPR alerts, drone deployments, stolen vehicle recoveries, and robbery investigations.
Beyond arrests, the upgraded RTIC supports ongoing investigations, aids in locating missing persons, assists with crisis interventions, and provides critical evidence for prosecution, all while facilitating seamless collaboration across multiple public safety agencies.
SFPD leadership has emphasized that the RTIC does not replace officers on the street. Instead, it augments their capabilities, particularly important for a department managing a staffing shortage of approximately 500 officers. As Interim Chief Paul Yep noted, the technology supports officers’ work, while the real outcomes continue to occur in the community.
SFPD RTIC: An Intelligence and Collaboration Hub
A key milestone in the RTIC’s evolution was its relocation from the Hall of Justice to a modern facility in San Francisco’s Financial District. Supported through public-private partnerships, the new location was designed to address infrastructure limitations and ensure reliable, uninterrupted operations.
The facility now serves as a “nerve center” for real-time policing, with space designed for continuous monitoring, rapid information sharing, and cross-agency collaboration. The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department are actively engaged with the RTIC, enabling coordinated responses to incidents, disasters, and citywide emergencies. Fire officials have noted the value of shared access to drone and video feeds for assessing street conditions and infrastructure following events such as earthquakes.
This intra-agency and interagency collaboration reinforces the RTIC’s role not only as a crime-fighting resource, but as a broader public safety operations center.
The San Francisco RTIC demonstrates how thoughtful planning, modern infrastructure, and responsible use of technology can strengthen public safety operations in a complex urban environment. By consolidating disparate systems into a single operational framework, the RTIC has improved efficiency, enhanced officer safety, and delivered measurable crime reductions, while supporting collaboration across agencies.
Supporting Mission-Critical Public Safety Environments
For agencies evaluating or expanding real-time intelligence capabilities, the San Francisco Police Department’s RTIC offers a compelling example of what is possible when strategy, infrastructure, and collaboration align. The SFPD partnered with Constant Technologies, which specializes in designing and delivering mission-critical spaces, providing expert planning, technology consoles, video wall systems, project management, installation, training, commissioning, and ongoing support.
Partnering with Constant Technologies ensures that agencies designing or upgrading real-time investigation centers benefit from expert guidance at every stage. From initial planning and expert design to advanced technology integration, video wall solutions, ergonomic consoles, and ongoing support, Constant delivers mission-critical environments tailored to the unique demands of modern public safety operations.
For more information on how Constant Technologies can support your Real-Time Intelligence Center, please contact us today.
