The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) was dealing with a troubling rise in hate crimes in the LGBTQ+ community of Hillcrest. During the summer of 2024, at least 4 attacks targeted local businesses and their patrons, including assaults that injured passersby with gel pellet guns. 

To identify the suspects in these attacks, and deter future crime, SDPD deployed Smart Streetlights integrated with Flock Safety's License Plate Reader (LPR) technology. The integration between Ubicquia and Flock brings Flock’s Vehicle Fingerprint technology and AI-powered video surveillance into the UbiHub® multi-purpose streetlight platform, allowing cities to deploy LPR cameras in minutes and reduce the cost of installation and maintenance. 

The Problem: A Rash of Hate Crimes

With San Diego facing one of the largest police staffing shortages among major U.S. cities, solving crimes efficiently is a challenge.

In 2024, SDPD partnered with Ubicquia and Flock Safety to install 500 Smart Streetlights across the city, turning existing infrastructure into powerful crime-solving tools without disrupting the city’s aesthetic or requiring costly new installations.

In November, the LPR system finally provided a lead — SDPD arrested multiple suspects in connection with the attacks in Hillcrest. Thanks to the ALPR system, police were able to track and identify the suspects' vehicle, leading to swift arrests.

Eddie Reynoso, one of the victims, expressed relief, saying:

"It brings me some relief knowing that there's three more people off the streets that were terrorizing our community."

By leveraging Smart Streetlight technology, SDPD is not only solving crimes faster but also preventing future attacks, sending a clear message that hate crimes will not be tolerated.

The Future of Smart Public Safety

The partnership between Flock Safety, Ubicquia, and the City of San Diego demonstrates how smart technology can be a powerful force for good.

With this integration, cities can access the most advanced AI-powered LPR and video technology with no additional hardware deployment. The partnership even allows this evidence to be centralized in the FlockOS real-time policing platform, centralizing and delivering intelligence to aid emergency response and investigations. 

In less than a year, the technology has already played a crucial role in solving over 120 investigations, recovering more than $1 million in stolen property, and leading to multiple arrests in high-profile cases.

Mayor Todd Gloria summed up the impact of the initiative:

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