D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday said the city’s Real Time Crime Center won’t be up and running for another few weeks because the 24/7 surveillance hub is waiting for some equipment.
Ms. Bowser said “critical pieces” are missing from the crime center, which is designed to give law enforcement the ability to monitor hundreds of live camera feeds throughout the D.C. region and will take up an entire floor in Metropolitan Police’s headquarters.
The mayor didn’t elaborate on what MPD’s newest crime-fighting tool was lacking. Her comments came during an unrelated press event downtown.
Metropolitan Police said in a statement to The Washington Times that “some of the technology is still being integrated and upgrades to the building’s infrastructure are being made to support the center.”
The delays caused the crime center to miss its expected launch last month.
MPD didn’t specify when the crime center would be fully functional but did say it’s working in a limited capacity right now and is contributing to investigations.
Ms. Bowser shared an update on the crime center hours before she signed the Secure D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act into law.
The new law aims to crack down on the rampant carjackings and shootings that upended the District last year.
Other focus areas for the law include going after the ringleaders of organized retail crime, penalizing ski masks and rolling back some restrictions on police arrest procedures.
MPD’s February staffing report said the Real Time Crime Center has 24 sworn officers assigned to it.
Commander Matthew Fitzgerald leads the unit that has three lieutenants, eight detectives, 11 sergeants and an additional officer on staff. Three civilians also work with the new surveillance apparatus.
Chief of Police Pamela Smith said during the crime center’s initial announcement in December that officers will monitor CCTV cameras, emergency calls and “other technology products” in real time to address crime more swiftly.
The District was enduring one of its most violent years in decades when members of federal and neighboring local law enforcement departments joined D.C. leaders to unveil the new public safety “nerve center.”
In 2023, the nation’s capital saw a 26-year-high in killings, carjackings were the highest on record and robberies were up 70% compared to the year before.
The D.C. chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union was alarmed by the crime center’s Big Brother-esque implications at the time, with police getting access to roughly 300 camera feeds — and with plans to add more.
Chief Smith said the surveillance hub would still rely on victim and witness reports before responding to a crime, and would not turn into a way to proactively police the city.
The high-tech monitoring center has become a fixture of police departments both large and small.
New York City launched its crime center in 2005, followed by other major cities such as Atlanta and Newark, New Jersey. Smaller jurisdictions, including Hampton, Virginia, and Pasco County, Florida, also have real-time crime centers.
Partner departments such as the U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland and Fairfax County in Virginia all plan to collaborate with MPD at the center so information can be shared more easily.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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