Mayor and police unveil mobile camera units and other technology under Prop E to target open-air drug markets, sideshows and car break-ins

The San Francisco mayor's office, Police Department and other public-safety officials demonstrated solar-powered mobile security camera units and described how the city intends to use technology approved by voters under Proposition E to deter and investigate crimes.

At a Sept. 24 presentation the mayor, police chief Bill Scott, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto and other city leaders said several technologies'including drones, license-plate recognition cameras and the new mobile security units from Live View Technologies (LVT)'are being coordinated to respond to hot-spot crime problems such as open-air drug markets, sideshows and vehicle burglaries.

Police officials said recent use of technology has coincided with substantial drops in several crime categories: the department reported year-to-date reductions in 2024 of roughly 32% overall, with car break-ins down more than 50% compared with the same period last year. Chief Scott said the new mobile units are flexible, can be redeployed to the city's most pressing hot spots and can issue automated audio warnings or prerecorded messages to deter unwanted behavior.

LVT demonstrated an MSU (mobile security unit) model that combines cameras, speakers, lights and artificial-intelligence monitoring. Company representatives and city staff said the units can detect suspicious behaviors, broadcast warnings, escalate to live operator intervention and retain recorded evidence for law enforcement use. LVT said private-sector customers have used similar units for property protection; the city's contracts would deploy them for public safety.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said video evidence from the devices will enable more prosecutable cases and strengthen the DA's ability to present evidence to juries; other officials said footage could be paired with ALPR and drone data to track suspects and stolen vehicles across jurisdictions. Sheriff Miyamoto and Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who led local ballot efforts on public-safety technology, said the devices act as a "force multiplier" where staffing is limited.

City officials said the first MSUs will be deployed to the Mission District and to Mid-Market/UN Plaza, areas the department identified as hot spots for open-air drug dealing and related disorder. Police said such deployments will be accompanied by community meetings, data-driven placement decisions and adherence to local and state privacy rules; the police chief emphasized the department will accept community feedback and limit deployments consistent with state law and city values.

The announcement came after a yearslong debate over surveillance, privacy and police oversight in San Francisco. City leaders said the combination of tools has already produced measurable crime reductions and that community engagement will be part of policy and deployment choices.

Speakers and officials quoted include Mayor London Breed, Police Chief Bill Scott, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, Supervisor Matt Dorsey and LVT representative Mark Craney.