Rialto Unveils High-Tech Police Hub

Rialto officials opened a new 82 million dollar police headquarters on Wednesday, October 21, introducing an artificial intelligence assisted real-time crime center to the community. The facility at 128 N. Willow Ave. serves as the central command for a department that includes 140 sworn officers and approximately 85 support staff. The buildout represents a major shift in how the city manages public safety operations and resource allocation.

City leaders framed the project as a necessary upgrade to support an expanding police force and a growing population. Mayor Pro Tem Ed Scott recalled a lunch meeting with Chief of Police Mark Kling, who had retired in 2011 but returned to the role in December 2017. Scott said Kling identified three primary needs: personnel, equipment, and building improvements. Scott pledged to address all three, noting that the team ultimately saved the city about 8 million dollars during the construction phase.

Funding for the project came from multiple sources. San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. stated that the county contributed 1.4 million dollars toward the construction. The new building features expanded dispatch capacity and a lobby that remains open around the clock, including holidays. Chief Kling emphasized that accessibility is a core design principle, stating that the police should not be closed when residents need assistance.

The department’s technology stack has evolved significantly since 2012, when Rialto became one of the first agencies to adopt body-worn cameras. In November 2025, the department signed a nine-year contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. for 14.3 million dollars. This deal includes a drone-as-first-responder program, digital evidence platforms, and automated video analysis tools. The new headquarters will house the infrastructure required to process data from these systems in real time.

The integration of AI in policing has sparked national debates regarding privacy and bias. A 2024 letter from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to the Department of Justice warned that such systems can amplify existing biases without independent testing. Additionally, a 2019 National Institute of Standards and Technology study documented variations in facial recognition accuracy across different racial groups. Rialto’s adoption of these tools places the city within this ongoing regulatory and social conversation.

Despite the technological focus, local officials stressed that the building is a physical asset rather than a final solution. Chief Kling described the headquarters as a foundation for future service improvements. He noted that the value of the facility depends on the department’s ability to maintain strong relationships with residents while leveraging the new data capabilities.

The opening ceremony on October 21 drew city council members, including Andy Carrizales, Karla Perez, Edward Montoya Jr., and Mayor Joe Baca Sr. The event marked the official transition to the new facility, which was designed to handle the increased workload of a modern police department.