San Mateo PD Crime Statistics

March 14, 2025 | Nafiz M. Ahmed

Holding police officers and departments accountable for their actions begins by understanding what these agencies and their employees do. Some police units, including the San Mateo Police Department, make finding basic statistics about their activities easy through the use of informational dashboards.

Citizens of San Mateo can and should periodically review the information presented on the department’s dashboard. If you have concerns about how your city’s police department is being run, approaching your elected leaders with facts and data is the best way to effect change in the way your community is policed.

Over the last five years, the San Mateo Police Department (SMPD) has initiated, received, or responded to over 313,000 calls for service. Here are five notable (and perhaps surprising) facts about these calls:

Number of Arrests

Between 2020 and 2024, the SMPD made nearly 13,000 arrests. The most common offense leading to arrest was possession of unlawful paraphernalia, followed by executing a warrant on someone on behalf of an outside agency. Driving under the influence of alcohol was the third-most common reason for arrests.

Use of Force

The San Mateo Police Department hasn’t had an officer-involved shooting since 2020. However, officers with the SMPD used force in the execution of their duties nearly 500 times over a four-year span. The most common form of force used is exerting physical control over a person, followed by placing suspects in physical restraints.

The most common charges that led to officers using force during arrests were obstruction and resistance-related offenses.

Reasons Community Members Call Police

Officers with the San Mateo Police Department have responded to 188,219 calls for service made by community members over the last five years. The top three reasons for these calls have been to report general disturbances, ask for welfare checks on individuals, and inform law enforcement of audible alarms going off.

Officer-Initiated Contact

Police officers don’t need to wait for a community member to make a report before acting — they can initiate contact with citizens within the bounds of the law. In over 56,000 instances between 2020 and 2024, officers initiated contact with civilians while conducting traffic stops. Officers passing by someone and initiating contact was the second-most common situation.

Reports Taken By Officers

Whether contact between law enforcement personnel and civilians was initiated by the SMPD or a community member, most of these calls resulted in officers taking a report. These reports document facts about the situation so additional follow-up or other action can be taken at a later time.

Theft offenses were the most common reason officers took reports. General disturbances, suspicious persons, traffic stops, and welfare checks rounded out the top five reasons officers made reports after having contact with the public. Other reasons for reports included hit-and-run accidents, stolen vehicles, and burglaries.

Understanding Police Activity In San Mateo

The SMPD initiates or responds to approximately 75,000 calls for service on average each year. The bulk of these calls result in an official report being taken. Although not every one of these calls leads to an arrest, a sizable number do for reasons ranging from obstructing an officer’s duties to operating a vehicle under the influence.

Taken together, these statistics show that the SMPD stays active in investigating alleged criminal activity and responding to calls for service. Many of these calls are not for serious crimes but rather to request welfare checks, report thefts, or document general disturbances.

Contact our Criminal Defense Law Firm of Ahmed & Sukaram, Criminal Defense Attorneys Today For Help

For more information please contact our criminal defense law firm of Ahmed & Sukaram, Criminal Defense Attorneys at the nearest location for a free consultation.

Ahmed & Sukaram, Criminal Defense Attorneys – San Jose Office
1625 The Alameda, Suite 405, San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 217-8818

Ahmed & Sukaram, Criminal Defense Attorneys – Redwood City Office
600 Allerton St Suite 201G, Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 299-0500