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Abstract: 

In 2021 a driver in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ran a red light, striking and killing a 7-year-old and injuring his father. The suspect fled the scene and eventually escaped to Mexico. Using camera footage and cellphone data, the Albuquerque Police Department’s real-time crime center played a crucial role in identifying, apprehending and charging the person at fault. The driver was ultimately sentenced to 27 years in prison, providing a measure of justice to the grieving family. This article briefly surveys the use of real-time crime centers, specialized units within police departments that use the latest technology to monitor public spaces and record incidents. Real-time crime centers employ video surveillance, closed-circuit television systems, license plate scanners, body cameras worn by officers, and drone cameras. The centers sometimes also include gunshot detection and computer-aided dispatch systems, live or static facial recognition, cellphone tracking and geolocation data, and access to probation, parole and arrestee information. The author, a professor of criminal justice and criminologist formerly embedded within the Miami Police Department, explains how these centers function and the safeguards they employ to assure accountability and appropriate use.

Keywords: Real-Time Crime Centers; Video Surveillance, Closed-Circuit Television Systems, License Plate Scanners, Body Cameras; Gunshot Detection

Affiliations:  1: Quinnipiac University.