WASHINGTON — WUSA9 got a first look Monday inside D.C.'s new Real Time Crime Center focused on technology that officers say will change policing in the region.
The center has been open for one month, and according to DC Police Chief Pamela Smith, police are already seeing results on the investment. But they need the public’s help.
After 14-year-old Avion Evans was killed at the Brookland Metro Station in Northeast Thursday afternoon, police were able to get the suspects’ pictures out within a half hour thanks to the Real Time Crime Center.
"We were able to obtain video footage and the detective and investigators at the center were able to upload those pictures and get it to the public rather quickly,” Smith said. "This center is more than just people sitting in a room -- it is the epicenter of how MPD will respond to crime and investigate cases."
On Friday, police were able to make two arrests during an active robbery caught on camera on Georgia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. Investigators at the RTCC were able to give police on the ground an accurate description of the suspect, which they say led to the quick arrest.
Chief Smith and dozens of officers from neighboring law enforcement agencies joined Mayor Muriel Bowser for a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday. Veteran MPD Officer Kim Sims said the real-time technology is a game changer.
“To be able to have the eye-in-the-sky type thing along with what they're doing on the street in tandem -- it's beautiful,” Officer Sims said.
Right now, only MPD officers are staffing the center. Officers from 11 other local and federal agencies are expected to join soon along with their cameras, creating a regional network of surveillance that is monitored and responded to in real time. But police need the public’s help and are hoping some of the cameras will come from residents. Smith said linking your camera to their network is safer.
“We will reach out to them kind of privately and they can send us a video clip of that particular incident and we'll be able to respond accordingly and that is another safer way for them not to feel as though they are snitching on someone publicly,” said the chief. "And it helps my officers safe from knocking on doors because we do a lot of doors knocks now.”
The power in the program is in the number of cameras around the city. Bowser said they will add 200 new closed-circuit cameras in FY2025 with 400 in the next four years. RTCC partner, Castle Security, offered 1,000 new cameras to any business that wants one.
The city is also launching Camera Connect DC so residents can register their cameras. But the chief is quick to highlight registering your camera does not mean police will always have access to all your video.
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