Police chief highlights 3.1 million LPR reads, new specialized team and therapy‑dog program

Police Chief Matt Allen delivered a departmental update on staffing, technology and new programs during the May 8 meeting.

Allen told the council that the department is at 30 sworn positions, with one dispatch vacancy. He reported the city’s license‑plate‑reader (LPR) program — provided through Flock Safety — includes 20 cameras citywide. "From March 12 to April 10, we had 3,100,000 plate reads in the city of Lincoln," Allen said, adding the system produced 414 hot‑list hits during that period and that the department shares data with other California agencies under formal policies.

The chief described the LPR program’s acceptable‑use controls: detection is limited to plates and vehicle snapshots, not facial recognition; every system access requires a user ID and a stated reason; and hot‑list hits require human verification before action. He cited several recent cases where LPR hits helped locate stolen vehicles and suspects.

Allen also described new staffing and programs: a Specialized Resource Team (SRT) focused on homelessness and chronic quality‑of‑life issues will begin on May 21 as a one‑year pilot; the department is building an evidence‑processing room (CIP) but faces long lead times for electrical components; and the agency has partnered with Hearts for Heroes USA to receive a therapy dog for public safety use, with the chief volunteering to serve as the initial handler while the dog completes a year of training.

Council members thanked the chief and asked for public access to the department photo he displayed and additional data on safety rankings. Allen said transparency materials and the LPR transparency portal are publicly available on the department website.

Why it matters: The LPR statistics and examples were presented to justify the program’s public‑safety utility; the SRT and therapy‑dog program reflect an emphasis on specialized, non‑patrol responses for quality‑of‑life and trauma support.