The Little Rock Police Department has scaled up its Real Time Crime Center, which officials say has already improved the response efficiency to emergency situations. The Little Rock Board of Directors allocated $1.5 million for the center from pandemic relief funds.
Now, the LRPD is ready to get the public involved, officers said.
Nearly 450 cameras in Little Rock are set up with live video feeds that relay back to the Real Time Crime Center in the city’s new police headquarters. This video — from license plate readers stationed on streets, to swivel cameras in the River Market District and city buildings — helps in-office detectives and officers inform on-scene patrols.
Two sergeants and four detectives work a rotating schedule in the crime center, and they use a software program called Fusus to bring all the footage, and other police tech things, together. Maj. Ty Tyrell and Sgt. Troy Dillard walked through all the bells and whistles of the Real Time Crime Center Friday and explained how residents, businesses, hospitals, schools and others can get involved.
There are two ways for cameras to be incorporated into the Real Time Crime Center: through registration or integration. In both instances, the owner of the camera has full control over what the LRPD has access to, Tyrrell said. The city just started up a website to get the collaboration rolling. You can check that out here.
Registration would be the most common for Ring doorbell systems or other resident security devices. Registering a camera is free and only tells the LRPD where a camera exists. Police never have access to registered cameras without action from the owner, Tyrrell said.
Tyrrell said that if a crime happened in a neighborhood, the crew in the crime center could select that area and an email would be distributed to everyone with a registered camera in that space. The owner would then have the choice to look into their camera feed for anything that could help officers with the crime that’s been described. Then, owners would have access to a Dropbox folder to upload clips to the officers.
Integrating a camera is a bit different. Still with owner discretion, the LRPD would have direct, live access to cameras in places like a business, hospital or school. Integration requires the business to have the Fesus software that connects it to the crime center. Tyrrell said Friday that the police department has some on hand for small businesses or places in high-crime areas, but most partners would need to purchase their own device.
The devices alone can cost $200-$5,000 based on storage space, and annual subscription fees can be an additional $150-$2,300. Tyrrell said that larger businesses with a good amount of income would be expected to pay for their own, but they would also receive the benefit of increased security.
“We want to grow the system but we have a responsibility to be frugal with the government’s money,” Tyrrell said.
About half of the $1.5 million allocation has been used up, he said. However, some services haven’t been paid for because all the gear hasn’t been received. The pandemic money has to be spent by December 2024, and the annual subscription and maintenance that follows would have to be incorporated into the city budget.
Dillard said that the LRPD wouldn’t regularly monitor the feed of integrated cameras, and the video would only be accessed after a 911 call or emergency alert. The business would also be able to choose what cameras are available. For example, if 12 total cameras were at a location, but the owners only wanted the LRPD to see nine of them, then only nine would be available to the LRPD.
“If you have a problem, you have to call 911,” Tyrrell said. “Don’t wave your hand at the camera. If they’re not up, we don’t see them.”
Floor plans can also be uploaded to the Fusus software. With this addition, staff in the Real Time Crime Center can relay directions to on-scene officers so they get to the site of the emergency the quickest. Dillard said that businesses, schools or hospitals could share their already-made fire exit plan with the LRPD to get incorporated.
Tyrrell said that the city’s cameras in the River Market District are about 10 years old, and aren’t the best quality. The department will continue to use them until they break, though. Officers with the Fusus app can also turn their phones into walking live cameras that get relayed back to the crime center.
The LRPD has some part-time civilian positions open to work in the crime center, Dillard said. After an extensive background check, the training for the position is 30 working days. While the software system is user friendly, Dillard said, learning how to effectively communicate with patrols can take some additional time.