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Behind the scenes look at Cobb County police real-time crime center
From capturing felony suspects to solving robberies, Cobb County police say their real-time crime center has made a big impact on crime. It recently helped in the arrest of a man who they say was shooting up an apartment complex.
COBB COUNTY, Ga - Cobb County police are calling it game-changing technology that has helped them solve numerous crimes.
Through their Real Time Crime Center, investigators can see criminal activity as it is taking place, relay information to officers on the scene and solve crimes faster.
Recently cameras captured a man shooting at an apartment complex in Mableton. Officers inside Cobb Police headquarters could see the gunman at the complex and immediately pass on crucial details to responding officers.
"This is where the suspect is, this is the building, this is the vehicle he's driving, this is what he's wearing," said Cobb Police Maj. Billy Mitchell.
There was a brief chase and an arrest.
Police said this is just one of the many incidents where the Real Time Crime Center has led to arrests or solved crimes.
"It dramatically reduces the time it takes us to get to certain information and get it the hands of the investigators so they can make a true impact on crime," said Maj. Mitchell.
he system brings in video from about 400 cameras across the county. This includes license plate readers, traffic cameras and business surveillance systems. If a call comes in, officers in the center can pull up any of the cameras.
Officers in the field can also watch the cameras from their phones or computers. They can see what is happening and get an idea of what they are walking into.
"Real time situational awareness of a crime that's occurring in the moment," said Maj. Mitchell.
In the case of some street racers who took over an intersection in Cobb County, officers knew exactly which cars were involved before they even arrived. Officers were able to catch up with the dangerous drivers when the crowd scattered as they pulled up. Even better, Maj. Mitchell said, it is all caught on video.
"It ties everything together when you're looking at evidentiary needs of the department," said Maj. Mitchell.
Police plan to add more cameras from large venues like Truist Park and other businesses in the county. They hope to have close to 1000 cameras integrated into the system by the end of the year.