Real-Time Crime Centers

Chief Partridge has served the citizens of Oxford since 1989. Prior to becoming the Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety, Chief Partridge served as Operations Captain for the police department, supervising the uniform division and special operations. He is also an instructor in police media relations, executive protection, Law Enforcement Technology and special event planning, to mention a few. I was able to sit down with him and chat about the implementation of Real-Time Crime Centers.

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What are they and what are the benefits?

Real-time crime centers are hubs that combine numerous technology sources to provide public safety officials with a comprehensive intelligence for preventing and solving crime. Real-time crime centers can receive information from inputs such as government- and privately-owned CCTV, ALPR, CAD, and gunshot detectors so that law enforcement can view information in one centralized location. By centralizing information, it makes responding to and solving crime quicker and easier, and can serve as a force multiplier for agencies. When violent criminals are quickly apprehended, then the community at large is safer.

Real-time crime centers aren’t limited to just the jurisdictions where they reside; they are often regional, multi-agency centers that provide benefits to surrounding communities.This regional approach is particularly beneficial to the smaller agencies in the area that may not have the resources to synthesize information quickly and efficiently without the help of a real-time crime center.