The city of Irvine is beefing up technology within its police force to track crime quickly and create more opportunities to be proactive, officials said.
With the help of $2 million in funding from the state, the Irvine Police Department will establish a Real Time Crime Center that “embeds” crime analysts in its dispatch center. The funds will go toward equipping the center with new software, hardware and the expansion of the existing dispatch center, officials said.
“Over the course of the last few years, the state of California has certainly seen an uptick in criminal activity. The city of Irvine has certainly not been exempt of some of these criminal trends that have impacted the quality of life for Irvine residents, businesses and other important stakeholders,” Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent said. “Essentially, the (Real Time Crime Center) combines technology, historical data, real time data, time-serious intelligence, analysis and collaboration to combat criminal activity as it is happening.”
The center will help curb current crime trends in Orange County, including organized retail theft and motor vehicle and motor vehicle accessory theft, said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, who helped secure the funding in the state budget.
The crime center will emulate the city’s traffic management center located within City Hall, a room where personnel monitor in real time traffic circulation throughout Irvine and make adjustments, said city spokesperson Linda Fontes.
Purchasing the hardware and construction costs will be around $650,000, software costs around $810,000 and camera and maintenance costs approximately $540,000, Fontes said.
Once completed, crime analysts will be able to watch on a new ultra-wide screen display real-time footage from CCTV feeds, drones and automated license plate readers. Kent said it is his hope the center will be fully operational within the next four to six months.
The center will allow for more extensive…
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