In our last newsletter,  I shared with you some information on immigration enforcement and how your Sheriff’s Office navigates this issue from a public safety perspective.  Thank you to everyone who reached out to me to share your thoughts on my position, engage in healthy debate, or show your appreciation for my staff.  As I said then and will repeat now, I am always willing to listen and do my best to respond to every respectful message that I receive.  In this newsletter, I want to share with you some information and my perspective on some other recent topics that have been in public discussions recently – license plate reader systems and data sharing technologies. 

You are likely aware of the ongoing debates around Automated License Plate reader (ALPR) systems used in law enforcement and the vendor we use for our system, Flock Safety. Our ALPR system has been in place for approximately two years, and we follow all applicable laws (SB54 – California Values Act and SB34 – ALPR use of data).  The system consists of 31 fixed in place cameras that photograph license plates of cars travelling on public roads.  In order for a Deputy to have access to use this ALPR system, they must receive training that explicitly directs that they will only use it for law enforcement purposes, will not use it for immigration purposes, and will not share it with out of state or federal agencies.  When the system is searched by a Deputy, they must provide a reference number such as a dispatch call log or crime report number and explain the reason for the search.  Our data is audited monthly by an analyst for searches that are not in compliance.  These audits have never shown a violation of the trust that we put in our Deputies to use this tool.  You can see our public transparency data portal here.

Above and beyond the guardrails described above, we created a written agreement that must be signed by all parties before we will share our data with any other California law enforcement agency.  The agreement reaffirms that data shared by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office will be used for law enforcement purposes only, and not for purposes such as immigration enforcement, personal use, harassment, or inquiries made at the request of federal agencies or agencies outside of California.  Some comments I have heard from the public have stated that Flock cameras do more than just capture license plates.  Flock does offer video, audio, and drone services.  We do not have any of these services and have no current plans to add them. 

In 2025 our ALPR system was used in 354 cases.  The data generated 186 leads, 71 arrests and 29 additional referrals for prosecution.  The data assisted in the location of 12 missing persons and 6 persons suffering from a mental health crisis.  If you have ever had a loved one go missing, been the victim of a crime or know someone that has, you understand that there is an important story behind every one of these numbers.  Our last newsletter highlighted a significant case where Flock was used to identify a suspect in a string of armed robberies.  In addition to holding this suspect accountable, there is no way to know how many robberies were prevented by the use of ALPR to bring this case to a rapid conclusion.  As your Sheriff I have a duty to give our staff the best technology available to protect public safety, and many of these successful results would not have been possible without the use of our ALPR system. 

The other topic I want to discuss is data sharing.  Later this quarter I anticipate that the Sheriff’s Office, the Probation Department, and the Marin Chief’s Association (a group consisting of Police Chiefs of Marin law enforcement agencies and the District Attorney) will ask the Marin Board of Supervisors to approve an agreement with a company called Peregrine that will provide software to link the various different databases used by your Marin law enforcement agencies.   The software does not create new data, only allowing our Deputies easier access to existing data that they would already have the right to look at and use in their investigations.  When I started in law enforcement in the late 1990s, many of the experienced training officers that I learned from would tell me about how law enforcement was done when they started.  Reports were handwritten and difficult to get copies of later on, booking photos were actual photographs stored in a filing cabinet, and if you wanted to know if someone had a warrant in San Francisco, most likely a dispatcher would have to call SFPD and hope that someone would pick up the phone and check the warrant file.  Since then, each agency has seen advances in electronic report writing, computer dispatch systems, and records management systems.  Some of these systems work very well together, but many do not.  I see Peregrine as an evolution of all of these systems, not a revolution, as none of the sharing permissions or actual data being collected is changing. 

I have heard the concerns both locally and nationally about the government’s respect for our rights, privacy, and rule of law.  I do not dismiss these concerns and have decided to share this long message with you in order to better communicate why we do what we do and continue to build a relationship based on trust and reverence for public safety.  When a Deputy is given the authority to use ALPR data or run a search of someone’s criminal history, that same Deputy has been given handcuffs and the authority to detain someone by force against their will when they have probable cause to believe that the law has been broken.  That same Deputy has been given a powerful car with lights and sirens and the authority to drive in a manner exempt from traffic laws in emergency situations.  That same Deputy has been given a firearm and the authority to make life and death decisions in any number of chaotic, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situations.  While I believe we have the strictest hiring standards and provide the best training in the country, we hire people; and people sometimes make mistakes.  And when our people make mistakes, we hold them accountable and take action to prevent those mistakes from happening again.  We trust but have the tools to verify.  Restricting the ability of our Deputies to use data they are legally authorized to use to accomplish a public safety goal based on concerns that are theoretical, or based on cases of misuse by people with no connection to our organization, I believe is wrong and shortsighted.  Taking away these lawful tools out of fear of misuse would be no different than taking away our Deputies handcuffs, patrol cars, or firearm due to the theoretical possibility that they could be misused.  Public Safety is accomplished largely through trust, and I am asking you to trust the people that patrol your streets, staff your jail, and answer your 911 call to do the right thing, even if you believe others have not.  Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and whether you agree or disagree, do not hesitate to make your voice heard.

Lt. Hugh Baker, Civilian Oversight Commission Liaison 

Lt. Baker was born in Marin County and raised in both Marin and Sonoma counties. He attended Analy High School and Santa Rosa Junior College before beginning his law enforcement career at the Marin County Sheriff’s Office in 1989. He was proceeded in public safety service by his grandfather who served 30 years as a correctional officer at San Quentin State Prison and his uncle, who served at MCSO for 32 years.

During his career, Lt. Baker has served primarily in the Detention Services and Field Services Bureaus. His assignments have included jail, patrol, and detectives. He has had held collateral assignments as a firearms instructor, radar enforcement coordinator, and fleet manager for both our marked and unmarked fleets. He says he has enjoyed all his assignments, but his favorite was detective sergeant leading the Special Victim’s Unit, investigating sexual assault and crimes against children. “When a person is sexually assaulted, their power over their bodily autonomy is stolen from them in a seriously traumatizing manner. Employing trauma-informed investigation techniques allows us to return some power to those survivors and can be a major step in the healing process for them.” Baker said, “That is very impactful and rewarding work.”

From early in his career, Lt. Baker has had a passion for teaching and training serving both as training officer and training sergeant. He has also served as a training officer at the police academy and as a leadership training facilitator. He spent a total of 26 years as a sergeant, using that as another platform to teach and train as well as providing leadership and accountability.

Lt. Baker welcomes his assignment to our Professional Standards Unit in his role as the Sheriff’s Liaison to the Inspector General and the Civilian Oversight Commission. He is excited to apply his experience and passion for teaching and training to his new assignment. When asked about his thoughts on police oversight he said “Integrity is an indispensable quality in policing a free people. If you don’t have it, nothing else matters. You can never surrender that ethic. My hope is that by working together with our Inspector General and the Oversight Commission we reinforce that concept for all our employees.”   

County Fair

The Marin County Fair was a huge success, bringing in thousands of community members to join in the celebration. 

With amazing art exhibits, carnival rides, great food options and live music, this years event was spectacular. We honored to have worked with so many different Departments, County Divisions and personnel who made this years fair experience one for the record books. 

The County Fair is a great place to safely enjoy fireworks in the Marin area.   

Law Enforcement Torch Run

In May, the Marin County Sheriff's Office participated in the annual Northern California Law Enforcement Torch Run to support the Special Olympics. With partners from the Marin County Probation Department, our Team helped carry the torch through our leg of the run. 

This event unites law enforcement agencies across the region in raising awareness and funding for athletes with disabilities. We accepted the torch from Novato Police and ran a four-mile leg through San Rafael to pass the torch to San Rafael Police. 

Camp Chance

Each summer, the Marin County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with the San Rafael Police Department, hosts Camp Chance at Walker Creek Ranch in West Marin. Camp Chance is a week-long camp for youth, ages 11–13, that offers a structured camping experience with a wide variety of activities. This year, over sixty youth attended the camp and were able to participate in team-building exercises, first responder demonstrations, and a memorable, fun-filled day at the beach. This experience helps bridge the gap between the youth in our communities and local law enforcement. 

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