In 2021, Nick Noone, cofounder of Peregrine Technologies, found himself testifying in a Bay Area courtroom. His company’s software had been pivotal in connecting data from mobile locations, license plates, police records, and surveillance cameras to help the San Pablo Police Department pinpoint suspects in a murder case. The defendants were convicted, a testament to the power of Peregrine’s tech.
Noone, along with his cofounder Ben Rudolph, developed Peregrine after spending 18 months embedded with the San Pablo PD, working alongside detectives to understand how police could better utilize data to solve crimes. The result? A super-powered search engine for law enforcement. Their web-based app quickly scans court records, police reports, surveillance footage, and body cam transcripts, making it easier for officers to access information from previously siloed databases.
Peregrine’s roots trace back to Noone’s time at Palantir, a $20 billion government contractor. He spent years working with the U.S. military in the Middle East, using intelligence data to track ISIS. After leaving Palantir, he teamed up with Rudolph, a former technologist at the U.N. Refugee Agency. They aimed to bring military-grade intelligence tech to local police departments to improve efficiency and crime-solving capabilities.
Despite their outsider status, Peregrine gained trust within the law enforcement community. Noone’s hands-on approach—working directly with police departments rather than observing from Silicon Valley—played a key role in this trust-building. The approach is something he learned while working in the Middle East: technology should serve the real needs of those it’s meant to help.
By 2023, Peregrine had secured 57 contracts with U.S. police and public safety agencies, from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Their revenue grew from $3 million to $10 million in just one year, with expectations to hit $30 million in 2024. The company has also raised $60 million from investors, including Palantir veterans, and was valued at $360 million. Forbes named Peregrine one of its Next Billion Dollar Startups for 2024.
Peregrine’s success stems in part from its affordability. While high-tech surveillance hubs, known as Real-Time Crime Centers (RTCCs), are often too expensive for smaller departments, Peregrine’s solution offers a more budget-friendly alternative. Their average contract is around $280,000 a year, though some smaller departments pay as little as $32,000. This cost-effectiveness has attracted attention from both well-resourced departments and smaller ones alike.
For example, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office recently deployed Peregrine’s technology with a $900,000 contract. Similarly, the Los Angeles Police Department signed a $2.8 million deal to use Peregrine for its “Project Blue Light,” aimed at combating organized retail crime.
However, the expansion of RTCCs has raised concerns among privacy advocates. Beryl Lipton, a senior researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), warned that the widespread use of RTCCs and Peregrine’s tech may increase surveillance of poorer, non-white neighborhoods and lead to privacy violations. The EFF has tracked over 150 RTCCs, with the actual number likely higher.
To address privacy concerns, Peregrine hired Adam Klein, former chairman of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, as an advisor. Klein has guided the company on how to design privacy and civil liberties protections into its systems from the start. As a result, Peregrine’s platform includes features like audit logs, access controls, and strict rules for data searches. Users, for instance, must provide a valid reason or case number to access sensitive data such as license plate reader information. Moreover, Peregrine prohibits the use of facial recognition technology, which has previously led to wrongful arrests.
Peregrine also monitors police behavior, tracking use-of-force incidents and generating reports to detect potential abuses of its technology. The company emphasizes the importance of protecting civil liberties in its contracts with police departments, reminding them that they are stewards of public data.
Looking beyond law enforcement, Noone envisions Peregrine’s technology being used by other government agencies to address social issues. His goal is to help cities analyze data to understand the root causes of crime. He hopes that by asking the right questions—such as when juveniles get out of school or what afterschool programs are available—local governments can intervene earlier to prevent criminal activity.
In the end, Noone’s mission is not just to enhance police surveillance but to contribute to broader efforts in solving societal problems and breaking the cycles that lead to crime in the first place.
