In an ongoing effort to improve situational awareness during active incidents, accelerate emergency response, and strengthen investigative capabilities, a growing number of law enforcement agencies across the United States are investing in real-time crime centers (RTCCs). These centralized operations hubs, now serving communities ranging from large metropolitan areas to small municipalities, are redefining how police departments manage information, coordinate resources, and respond to unfolding events.
Regardless of size or budget, the core mission of every RTCC remains the same: Improve public safety by reducing response times, increasing operational efficiency, and enabling officers to make better‑informed decisions in real time. According to the National Real‑Time Crime Center Association, more than 300 RTCCs are currently in operation nationwide, with a reported 148% increase in adoption of centralized monitoring technologies between 2020-2024.
At its core, an RTCC is a centralized, technology‑driven hub within a police department that aggregates and analyzes live data feeds to provide immediate, actionable intelligence to officers in the field. These feeds typically include surveillance cameras, 911 call data, license plate readers (LPRs), body‑worn cameras, drone footage, and other sensor‑based systems. In many cases, this information can be shared across jurisdictions or accessed remotely, extending the reach of the center well beyond a single physical location.
By consolidating disparate sources of data into a single operational picture, RTCCs allow analysts and dispatchers to monitor incidents as they unfold, identify suspects more quickly, and relay critical information directly to responding officers. This real‑time visibility has proven invaluable during high‑risk incidents, major crimes, and large‑scale public events, where seconds can make a measurable difference.
Big City Benchmark
One of the earliest and most advanced examples of an RTCC is operated by the New York City Police Department. Launched in 2005, the city’s multi‑million‑dollar RTCC was among the first of its kind in the nation and remains a benchmark for large‑scale deployments.
Operating 24/7, the center provides data‑driven support to officers across all 77 precincts serving a population of approximately 8.5 million residents. Thousands of surveillance cameras feed into the system, along with facial recognition tools, LPRs, gunshot detection sensors, and social media analysis platforms. Together, these technologies enable analysts to generate instant intelligence for detectives and officers at crime scenes.
A key component of the NYC RTCC is the Domain Awareness System (DAS), a Microsoft‑developed platform that integrates CCTV cameras, radiological sensors, and other data sources into a unified interface. DAS applies artificial intelligence to tasks such as facial recognition, predictive analytics, and gunshot detection—using acoustic sensors commonly known as ShotSpotter—to help locate incidents quickly and accurately. Officers in the field can access DAS and 911 data through handheld devices, ensuring that intelligence reaches decision makers without delay.
Smaller Success
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Warner Robins Police Department in Georgia, which serves a community of approximately 90,000 residents. The city unveiled its own RTCC at the Law Enforcement Center, creating a modern hub for technology‑driven policing tailored to a mid‑sized municipality.
Staffed by two to three personnel from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, the 900-square-foot center integrates live traffic cameras, LPRs, public safety databases, and communication systems to support coordinated responses to incidents as they occur.
“We looked at how we could improve our operations,” said Captain Eric Gossman. “And we identified a shortcoming of utilizing technology to improve our workflow.”
Inspired by a visit to Georgia Tech’s operations center, Gossman recognized the potential of centralized monitoring to transform how the department handled critical situations. The department partnered with Solutionz, under the supervision of senior account manager Heather Kireta, to bring the concept to life.
The project involved approximately $257,000 in renovations and technology upgrades, including the installation of Haivision Command 360 video wall solution featuring a large, central LG LCD display. Two staffed workstations equipped with desktop monitors sit in front of the wall, and multiple BYOD inputs are available for flexibility.
“With the Haivision system we can view up to 16 4K streams of high‑resolution video at the same time,” Gossman explained. “At a desktop, I might only be able to monitor two streams. This allows us to see everything at once. For an agency of our size, it’s perfect.”
Measurable Improvements
Since the RTCC became operational, Warner Robins has seen measurable improvements in response times and officer safety. By providing officers with greater awareness of what they may encounter before arriving on scene, the center has helped reduce uncertainty during critical calls.
“We’ve had two homicides that the center helped close that might not have been resolved as quickly otherwise,” Gossman said. “We’re now looking to integrate Drone as First Responder (DFR) technology, which will be operated from this center. At that point, we’ll be running 24/7.”
According to Kireta, once the project was approved, implementation took approximately three months after construction was completed. The scope included running nearly 2,000 feet of Cat 6 cabling to connect the RTCC to the department’s central IT closet, installing the video wall, and deploying two 24/7-rated desks provided by Fountainhead Control Rooms, with fully networked personal computers and videoconferencing capabilities.
“The department wanted multiple wall displays where operators could view different content simultaneously,” Kireta explained. “We designed a system that brought all those feeds together and significantly improved their ability to respond to incidents.”
The Haivision Command 360 platform’s software and hardware components can connect to cable TV boxes, encoders, decoders, and other sources, allowing disparate feeds to be managed through a single interface. Operators can drag, drop, and manipulate content on the video wall with ease, while built‑in KVM functionality enables seamless control of multiple systems. LG LCD displays with ultra‑thin bezels were selected to create a clean, continuous video wall appearance.
Integration and Infrastructure
As RTCC adoption accelerates, manufacturers of control room technologies are developing solutions specifically designed to meet the needs of public safety environments. For example, RGB Spectrum offers a portfolio of multiview and control technologies tailored to operations centers. According to Dan Marcus, VP of business development, the RTCC market has expanded far beyond its early adopters.
“It used to be that large cities were the first to deploy crime centers,” Marcus said. “Now we’re seeing them everywhere. They’re evolving alongside technologies like drones, wearable cameras, and mobile devices that support first responders.”
RGB’s offerings include the Zio video over IP platform, video wall processors, KVM over IP systems, and its IPX Flyaway Kit for portable command and control applications. What differentiates the company’s approach, Marcus explained, is tight integration.
“The multiview processor is part of the matrix,” he explained. “There aren’t external boxes converting IP streams back into HDMI. It’s a hybrid IP solution that can also accept baseband inputs, with all processing handled within the Zio platform.”
This hybrid approach allows operators to manage multiple local inputs with minimal latency, an essential requirement for real‑time monitoring of video sources at different resolutions. “A lot of times, it’s a trade‑off between fidelity and latency,” Marcus added. “Lower latency generally requires more bandwidth, so agencies must decide how important video quality is to their mission.”
Redundancy and Reliability
Another major player in the RTCC space is Extron. In 2025, the company worked with systems integrator North Carolina Sound to upgrade the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center in Bolivia, NC. The project transformed an existing call center into a modern RTCC serving as the primary link between the public and emergency services.
While the original AV system was functional, it lacked redundancy, meaning a single component failure could bring operations to a halt. The upgraded system was designed to deliver optimal signal integrity, true redundancy, and failsafe operation for the center’s 911 workstations, centralized dispatch system, and specialized communications equipment.
Operators manage emergency calls through a computer‑aided dispatch system, with sources displayed on a Planar Clarity G2 video wall, individual workstations, and an adjacent conference room. Extron’s XTP modular matrix system provides centralized switching and distribution, while the NAV Pro AV over IP system links the 911 center with a conference room and a backup emergency operations center.
“The key to an efficient control room workflow is the harmonious integration of every system element,” said Joe da Silva, Extron VP of marketing. “Our goal is always to ensure a flawless operational experience for the end user.”
Monitoring the Situation
Modern RTCCs centers are typically built around a combination of dvLED and LCD video wall systems, which are supported by large-format displays and operator desktop monitors. Touch-enabled displays that support interactive workflows, annotation, and real-time collaboration are also widely used at operator positions to enhance control, navigation, and user interaction with critical systems.
“Direct-view LED is rapidly becoming the preferred solution for primary visualization walls due to its seamless design, high brightness, and scalability,” said Greg Fechner, sales director for state and local government at Planar. “These attributes allow agencies to display multiple data sources clearly across large environments where visibility from any position in the room is critical. LCD video walls remain a strong option, particularly in applications requiring very high pixel density or where budget considerations are a factor.”
Since its inception, the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) Real Time Intelligence Center (RTIC) has used Planar’s Clarity Matrix LCD video wall system. As the number of integrated camera systems grew, and additional technologies and data sources were added, the department upgraded to a nearly 36x7-foot Clarity Matrix G3.
The system serves as the central visualization platform, supporting monitoring of thousands of live camera feeds. This includes fixed cameras, body cameras, and other real-time data sources, providing officers and analysts with a unified operational picture. When an incident is not in progress, the video wall serves as a collaborative tool that supports CPD’s ongoing intelligence work.
“At the end of the day, command centers require a complete ecosystem of display technologies that perform without compromise,” said Fechner. “Planar delivers that ecosystem with the reliability, clarity, and long-term support these mission-critical environments demand, while also helping agencies standardize on a single manufacturer to simplify deployment, streamline support, and ensure consistency across their operations.”
Whether deployed in a city of millions or a town of fewer than 100,000 residents, RTCCs have proven their value for modern policing. As AI, facial recognition, drones, and predictive analytics continue to mature, these centers will become even more capable and effective.
At Warner Robins, the results are already clear. “We always try to stay one step ahead of criminals,” Gossman said. “This crime center has helped reduce our response‑to‑call times and close cases faster. It’s been a big win for our department—and I’m sure for many others across the country as well.”
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