San Mateo and Foster City chiefs propose limited real-time access to school security cameras to aid emergency response

San Mateo and Foster City police chiefs urged the San Mateo-Foster City school board on Sept. 9 to consider a narrowly tailored agreement that would allow authorized officers to view existing campus security cameras in real time during emergencies.

Chief Corey Call of the Foster City Police Department told the board the plan would give first responders “eyes on whatever the situation is” so they can “respond with speed, accuracy and as safely as possible.” He said officers would access video through a district portal: “we would simply log in to the portal and select the impacted school and access all the cameras at that school.”

The chiefs presented the program as a limited “break-glass” tool for incidents such as violent intruders, abductions, bomb threats or fires, not as a routine surveillance system. Chief Ed Barini of the San Mateo Police Department said recorded footage would remain the district’s property and that requests for non-emergency recorded video would continue to follow existing protocols.

Trustees pressed for precise language about when police may access live feeds. Trustee Proctor said language like “when necessary to protect the health and safety of district students” is too vague and could be interpreted broadly. Several trustees and staff requested that the board start with a narrow scope—active shooter or other clearly defined critical incidents—and expand only after establishing safeguards.

Board members also raised privacy and community-trust concerns. One trustee asked that an attached map of Fiesta Gardens School be removed from public materials because it shows camera locations and campus vulnerabilities; staff agreed to remove the map from future attachments. Trustees asked for evidence of precedents and for examples of how access and oversight have worked elsewhere.

Chiefs pointed to a 2018 Broward County school–law enforcement agreement developed after the Parkland shooting as a drafting model and cited that incident to explain delays that can occur without live access. They said authorized supervisors would grant access to a small number of trained personnel, each with individual credentials, and that systems produce auditable logs so district staff can review who accessed which feeds and when.

The board discussed training and familiarization for officers and mutual-aid partners, noting that many responding officers will not know the layout of individual campuses. Chiefs proposed scheduled walk-throughs and simulated drills when students are not present to build orientation without disrupting classes.

Trustees asked staff to research comparable agreements, provide example contract language, and plan community outreach to explain triggers, oversight and audit procedures. No formal vote was taken; staff said they will return with additional information and possible next steps for the board to consider.

The meeting ended with a procedural motion to close after a check for public comments, of which none were received.