Real Time Crime Center

Mission

The Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) serves as the Norfolk Police Department’s central hub for technology-driven public safety. Its mission is to enhance situational awareness, accelerate response times, and provide officers with actionable intelligence that helps prevent crime and protect the community.

Core Functions

  • Live Monitoring
    • Utilizes a network of cameras, license plate readers, and other sensors to observe activity across the city in real time.
  • Data Integration
    • Combines information from multiple sources – 911 calls, CAD systems, records databases, and field reports – into a single operational picture.
  • Officer Support
    • Provides patrol officers and investigators with immediate intelligence, helping them respond more effectively to incidents.
  • Crime Analysis
    • Identifies emerging patterns, hotspots, and trends to guide proactive enforcement and resource deployment.
  • Community Safety
    • Supports transparency and accountability by ensuring technology is used responsibly and focused on public protection.

Impact

  • Faster Response
    • Officers receive timely updates and situational context before arriving on scene.
  • Crime Prevention
    • Early detection of suspicious activity allows intervention before crimes escalate.
  • Resource Efficiency
    • Aims to help allocate personnel to violent crime hotspots, and other areas showing crime trends of concern.
  • Enhanced Investigations
    • Provides video evidence and digital leads that strengthen cases and improve clearance rates.

Vision

The RTCC represents the future of policing in Norfolk: a blend of human expertise and advanced technology working together to reduce crime, improve safety, and build trust with the community.

The Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) provides officers with immediate information from a call for service, such as vehicle descriptions, victim or suspect criminal histories, and other pertinent information that will assist an officer’s investigation during the call.

The development of the RTCC is a response to the police community’s desire to provide immediate information to officers during each call for service. 

Upon completion of an officer’s initial response and investigation, the information provided by the RTCC becomes agency data, similar to call-for-service and official report data that are captured in the department’s record management system. 

Subsequently, crime analysts correlate the RTCC information with other reported crimes and arrests to develop short-term patterns and long-term trends as part of their normal duties supporting investigation, apprehension, prosecution, patrol activities, crime prevention and reduction strategies, problem solving, and the evaluation and accountability of police efforts.