D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that 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 features 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.
The shipping delays put the crime center well behind its expected launch last month. Metropolitan Police could not be reached for comment about the operational setback.
MPD’s February staffing report said the Real Time Crime Center has 24 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, while carjackings were the highest on record and robberies were up 70% compared with 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.