San Mateo County's Project Sherlock AI policing system underperforms after $12M investment

San Mateo County’s Project Sherlock, a $12 million AI policing system developed by C3 AI, has largely failed to deliver promised investigative benefits after three years. A timeline projected 14 agencies to be fully live by January 2025, but seven agencies—Atherton, Belmont, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Menlo Park, San Bruno, and South San Francisco—report lacking a fully functional product. A senior Sheriff’s Office analyst said: ‘My no BS assessment is that we’ve been working with them for two years and they have a barely functional product.’ The system has faced delays, login bugs, and data integration issues.