Big and small, cities everywhere are trying to get a handle on crime and keep people safe. Much of this falls on the shoulders of police and other public safety teams. These agencies are working around the clock, doing their best to quickly respond to emergencies and get offenders off the streets. And they’re doing it all despite ongoing staff shortages, increased violence toward officers, and rigid budget constraints.
Using older, disparate technologies makes their jobs even harder. Many inefficient manual processes and siloed communication between agencies cut into valuable time and resources. In this environment, real-time crime centers (RTCC) have emerged as a cost-effective, efficient technology to increase public safety.
RTCCs help police departments increase situational awareness and officer safety and solve cases faster—all with fewer resources. In fact, according to The National Real Time Crime Center Association, there are more than 300 RTCCs in the United States today.1 And that number keeps growing.
Top Five Benefits of an RTCC
RTCCs help cities and communities harness the power of existing technology investments, real-time data, and advanced analytics to advance public safety initiatives. They’re crime-fighting nerve centers that facilitate decision-making through increased intelligence and better understanding.
The following explores the top five benefits of an RTCC for communities of any size:
- Support crime reduction
An RTCC drives intelligence and automation into the hands of public safety teams, allowing them to work smarter and faster. This ultimately leads to more timely responses and in-depth investigations. Often, it also sends a strong message that crime gets a swift response. That can deter bad actors and reduce offenses across communities.
Plus, as cities collect vast amounts of data every day, all that information comes into one central space with an RTCC. Teams can better identify crime hotspots, trending patterns, and even process improvements. Having a centralized data-driven hub helps inform decisions and strategies that further shrink crime rates.
For example, after deploying RTCCs, the city of Chicago, Illinois, saw a 39 percent reduction in on-scene arrival times in one of the most at-risk districts. They also saw a 22 percent decrease in shootings within one year across Chicago districts where RTCCs were implemented.
The Chicago Police Department emphasized that the persistent availability of staff and a room to monitor operations, supported by cameras, a live map display, and other technologies helped to detect, respond, and investigate crimes in near real time. Commanders could also make data-driven planning decisions much more quickly and more regularly than was previously possible.
- Streamline incident response
Transforming raw data from many sources into information that fuels faster, more effective decisions is critical to crime prevention and response. In an instant, operators can be alerted when a gunshot is detected and a 911 call is underway. They get immediate access to nearby cameras, license plate reads, and historical reports, sharing all of it with patrol officers as they respond.
Operators can then monitor the situation in progress, provide real-time updates, and help compile evidence after the incident is over. Using an RTCC, there’s less guesswork, greater automation, and increased powerful insights at hand. All this supports a swift and safe response.
- Speed up investigations
An RTCC acts as a central repository for collecting, managing, and storing all city data, making it easier than ever to compile evidence during and after incidents.
For instance, operators can export 911 calls, case notes, videos, and more into a digital evidence system following an incident. On the scene, officers can use mobile apps to digitally collect and transfer witness statements and other evidence into case files.
Investigators work within the RTCC, using forensic analytics and quick search tools to find pivotal video and data for their cases or securely request evidence via email. They can also digitally share entire case files with attorneys to streamline discoveries. An RTCC saves agencies countless hours of investigative work while increasing clearance rates.
- Improve officer safety
Using an RTCC, public safety operators provide data-driven, virtual assistance to in-field officers. When an emergency call comes in, they can quickly dispatch the nearest patrol car and transmit all relevant information both verbally and electronically to officers’ in-vehicle laptops. This allows responding officers to understand what’s happening and better prepare for the situation. Operators also monitor nearby cameras to provide real-time updates and ensure that all is going smoothly as officers handle the incident.
This virtual support also helps to keep officers out of harm’s way during larger city events. RTCC operators remotely monitor crowds, leverage analytics to pinpoint potential risks, and quickly alert nearby officers when they need to take action
- Enhance citywide collaboration
Using the right technology, public agencies can also forge partnerships with private businesses and residents, providing access to public-facing cameras to simplify evidence collection. They can also connect video cameras and smart sensors from other city agencies within the RTCC platform. This data not only broaden the view of what’s happening, but lead to significant insights that enhance everything from disaster recovery to sustainability initiatives. This type of program puts the control in the hands of businesses or residents to share video at a level they’re comfortable with.
The Pillars of RTCCs: Unification and Federation
In a traditional operations center model, data from security systems and other sensors are siloed in stand-alone systems across city departments—often in different buildings. Without a central point of organization, teams can’t collaborate easily.
When a call comes in reporting a robbery in progress, staff may have to consult one source to locate the closest cameras and another to locate the nearest gunshot detector. They may locate the sources they need only to find that cameras are offline and didn’t capture anything useful. Or they might have to travel to a local business to request video from its surveillance camera. Gathering all this information takes time, which delays response and may send officers to the scene with little situational awareness.
The first step in developing an RTCC is to unify and centralize public safety operations and develop a common operating picture. Doing this means shifting from stand-alone, isolated systems to an open, unified platform that consolidates data streams across city departments. A strategic decision support system that facilitates collaboration and connectivity between multiple systems is the foundation of the solution.
“Everyone from the transportation team and municipal security personnel to 911 operators and dispatchers had access to their own systems”
Data are presented using map-based visualization, giving the police a consolidated view of what’s happening in the city. Police leaders can then prioritize and coordinate officer interventions and responses to better protect community members and make informed decisions. These systems also continually monitor the health of all connected sensors and cameras, so they can be checked and serviced proactively.
The other pillar of RTCCs is federation. A federated city is one in which multiple entities (police, fire, EMS, city managers, businesses, community leaders, and so forth) partner in a meaningful way to achieve a common purpose regarding urban security. More than a network, partnerships that are federated enable stakeholders to enhance the capacity of each other to prepare, respond, and investigate.
In the context of an RTCC, federation can be achieved with technology that allows agencies to consolidate live monitoring, video searches, alarm management, and health reporting from many independent sites. Publicly and privately owned and operated agencies can also share vital information through federation while maintaining strict rights and privileges that allow them to remain in compliance with the connected systems and with personal privacy regulations.
Consider Technology and Space Options
Big cities aren’t the only ones that can build and benefit from an RTCC. Agencies of all sizes can capitalize on existing technology investments to drive higher levels of efficiency, information sharing, and collaboration across public safety operations.
Start by assessing existing technologies and space. List the public safety technologies that are already deployed. This will help establish a baseline for some core systems that can be unified within an RTCC initially.
Consider the video and data sources from other city departments that can benefit RTCC operations. Think about other agency-owned video systems or sensors that can provide additional operational context. There could be an opportunity to capitalize on these data points as plans to expand RTCC capabilities evolve.
The physical space of the RTCC should encompass some key characteristics. Seek out a large, open, and centrally located space without windows. This will limit distractions and provide room for a large-scale video wall as well as individual monitoring stations for operators. Commanders should have a view of the entire room to direct operations.
Key RTCC Funding Strategies
Grants are available to help support the implementation of an RTCC. Work with the selected manufacturer or systems integrator to explore various grant options. Consider the various grants from federal, state or province, and local government entities, but don’t exclude foundations and corporations.
Free programs are available to help agencies or cities research and apply for grant funding. They can help identify how the RTCC goals and plans best align with the grantor’s objectives, whether that’s crime prevention, community safety, or emergency preparedness. The greater the alignment, the higher the success rate.
Grants often favor projects with strong community support and collaboration, so agencies should engage with local businesses, community organizations, and other stakeholders to build partnerships. These alliances not only strengthen the grant application but also ensure the project’s long-term success and sustainability.
How to Begin: Work with Partners to Implement the RTCC
As crime rates and community expectations rise, public safety agencies must do more than react to situations in progress. RTCCs unify the data, surveillance, and intelligence needed to address situations at the point of crisis. Automating and centralizing these data save valuable time for police departments, enabling them to do more with fewer officers.
Building an RTCC from scratch can feel like an overwhelming endeavor. After all, it’s a big investment, and all stakeholders have a vested interest in making the right decisions. However, implementing a successful RTCC isn’t as complex as one might think, especially with experienced partners as collaborators.
Look for manufacturers and system integrators who have experience in RTCC development and a team of RTCC experts to help guide and advise the agency or city through every phase of the planning and implementation process. That effort includes helping initially assess and strategize, lending support during installation, and assisting with ongoing operator training and system optimizations.
As cities continue to seek smarter, more efficient ways to protect their communities, RTCCs stand out as a powerful solution. With the right strategy, technology, and partnerships in place, cities can implement an RTCC to enhance safety, boost collaboration, and future-proof public safety operations. d
Notes:
1National Real Time Crime Center Association, “Pioneering Progress in Real Time Crime Solutions.”
Please cite as
Phil Malencsik, “How to Launch a Successful Real-Time Crime Center,” Police Chief Online, July 30, 2025.
