Real Time Crime Center Introduced by LAPD
LAPD Captain Anthony Espinoza presented to the Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB) LAPD’s planned city-wide system of video cameras feeding into a central command center that would provide a 24-hour monitoring of crime events as they occur. The result is an efficient and effective real time response to illegal and/or dangerous incidents. The system has been labeled “LAPD Real Time,” and is expected to go live later this year with one center in each bureau. The Central Division Bureau, which includes South Park, will be the first to go live.
Several members of the SPNA Board of Directors and I attended the April monthly meeting of CPAB. These monthly presentations on the third Thursday of the month at 10 am are open to any citizen who wants to brave the trip to the Central Police Station on 6th and San Pedro. They are also available on Zoom - https://lapd.zoom.us/j/85737666166?pwd=bvU5bGD1C3yawsVZoIxtSMmPQAjSrW.1
Captain Espinoza explained the two major advantages of the LAPD Real Time Center. The first is instant notification of incidents as they occur allowing quick decisions on how to react by officers. The second is that saved videos from cameras could be referenced by detectives for clues from a crime scene that would allow quick apprehension of culprits.
The cameras will be of the highest resolution available and would incorporate facial recognition and license plate recording. The program will follow closely the highly successful “Connect Atlanta” system currently in use in that city.
Staffing of each command center will come from the existing police force. Captain Espinoza’s goal is to have the right people sitting in the viewing room who know the “hot spots”, have obtained the trust of residents in the community, and who know how to quickly analyze situations and react accordingly.
Once the system is fully operational, private citizens, businesses, and public/neighborhood groups will be allowed to apply for membership in LAPD Real Time with their own public-facing video camera systems or they can opt to be notified when their cameras are needed to review footage due to criminal activity.
It was noted that there have been two previous attempts at establishing similar systems in LA – both were quickly discontinued. Captain Espinoza acknowledged previous failures which he said were hampered by technology. He is confident that the technology available today has much improved and is up to the requirements of the LAPD.
It doesn’t take much imagination to recognize the value of such an effort in LA. Recently the person taking a chainsaw to trees in downtown was caught by street cameras. One residential building in South Park caught their package thief by watching footage from their cameras.
We at SPNA are excited that the crime center will offer our community a marked improvement in safety and security. SPNA has been working on a test pilot of linked existing public-facing cameras to be monitored by a security guard during late evening hours. See related story in this newsletter by Marty Goldberg.
By John Nilsson