The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 2 for the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) and the re-grand opening of the 911 Call Center.
Applause filled the building as attendees toured the facility. The new technology integrated into the RTCC will allow officers to solve crimes faster, provide more information about suspicious vehicles, and create a system for a second set of eyes to monitor field events in real time. According to the sheriff’s office, the ribboncutting represented progress made possible through a blend of innovation and care.
“We are dramatically ahead of a lot of counties and communities,” said Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee. “And I want everyone to know if you come to Baldwin County with nefarious purposes and intend to try to disrupt our way of life, you will be dealt with.”
The RTCC utilizes a collection of live data points from business, home security, and street cameras to provide additional information to officers. Inside the RTCC, the walls are lined with screens displaying live video feeds from traffic and school campus cameras across the county. Each operator's workstation includes multiple monitors where staff can access live feeds, track calls, and monitor potential dispatch updates. This constant flow of data allows operators to be on top of suspicious activity before a crime may even occur.
“The Real Time Crime Center helps bring together all the technology that we have into one place,” said Lt. Brandon Towe. “It has united all of our departments to better disseminate information to our officers.”
Sources include body cameras worn by police, personal and business security systems, Flock cameras (automatic license plate readers), and social media monitoring. Combining these methods not only results in faster police responses but also increases officer safety, prevents future crime, and improves ongoing investigations.
“We processed 111,000 phone calls last year,” said 911 director Mandy Ptak. “This technology will help us tremendously because we will now be able to work together more efficiently.”
With faster information processing, more data can quickly be found to create profiles on suspects. Whether behind the scenes in the center or in an active situation in the field, the development of the RTCC is helping officers solve crime at a more rapid rate.