Enhance City capabilities to proactively detect criminal activity.

The City of Tallahassee is working holistically to address public safety issues and the primary factors that contribute to crime. As a part of its approach, the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), Leon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), and the Florida State University Police Department (FSU-PD) have collaborated to create the Capital Region Real Time Crime Center (CR-RTCC). The Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) is based on a national model that has proven to be an effective crime-fighting tool. This model provides communities with the ability to leverage modern technology to achieve more efficient and effective policing. The first known major RTCC in the United States opened in New York City on July 18, 2005. Since then, the model has been replicated nationwide including in Florida communities such as Orlando, Coral Springs, Broward County, Osceola County, and Leon County.

The primary purpose of an RTCC is to give detectives and field officers instant and comprehensive information to help identify crime patterns and stop emerging criminal activity. RTCCs are intended to initially triage information from a call for service and provide relevant and timely intelligence, such as an individual’s vehicle descriptions, criminal histories, and other pertinent information, to assist in furthering an officer’s investigation during a call. Typically, in conducting an investigation, officers must return from the field to manually sift through pages of records to find information related to an investigation, or wait, sometimes days, until surveillance footage can be obtained and reviewed. The data may also be stored in multiple city, state, and federal databases that are non-interoperable requiring additional time to retrieve and share information. Without immediate access to information, invaluable time that could be used to make quick connections and deductions necessary for effective policing is lost. The Real Time Crime Center, on the other hand, provides officers in the field with pertinent information nearly instantaneously, given the collaboration between agencies and the interoperability of databases. When effectively implemented, Real Time Crime Centers can potentially provide all available information pertaining to a call for service before an officer even arrives at the crime scene.

On February 9, 2021, the City of Tallahassee signed an official charter for the implementation of the Capital Region Real Time Crime Center. The interagency agreement enables sharing of real-time policing data and immediate access to information from partner agencies. From 2021 to 2022, teams of professionals from the partnering agencies’ IT departments, fiscal representatives, and construction representatives worked together to bring the CR-RTCC to fruition. The Center will be staffed with law enforcement analysts from the three agencies who will provide real-time data for in-progress calls and analytical support to help prevent emerging criminal activity. The goal is to utilize available law enforcement databases and cutting-edge technology to enhance public safety and provide quicker resolutions to criminal incidents. As a result of leveraging these tools, the City anticipates a positive impact in case closures as well as crime deterrence.

Tallahassee Police Department. Last Updated: October 2022.