Police Executive Assistant Chief Robert Alldredge gave a technology briefing to the City Council in June, during which he stressed that law enforcement tech is used for collaring violent criminals and not to invade citizen privacy.
The city’s Real Time Crime Center relies on this tech to deal with emerging situations and support criminal investigations. It employs:
- Motorola CommandCentral Aware
- FlockOS cameras
- Pan-tilt-zoom cameras
- Drones
There are 1,150 pan-tilt-zoom cameras deployed across the city, which has a five-day retention policy for anything non-evidentiary, Alldredge said. A large number have gunshot detection and license plate reading software, and these are built in-house. Cameras correspond to mapping for real-time crime tracking.
“We want to use these cameras ... to get violent criminals off the street,” he said. “We don’t use them for traffic warrants ... we don’t use them for suspended licenses. We literally use these for felonies and to get violent predators off the street.”
Cameras took off with a neighborhood improvement program, and the community has supported the move, Alldredge said. They are “a game-changer because it allows us to see into areas without needing officers to be there.”
Gunshot detection software, also from Flock, is being implemented and will be placed in areas with a history of gunshot reports.
The city uses law enforcement databases such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, and patrol cars are infused with tech, according to the presentation.
