Real time crime center

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NYPD emblem
NYPD emblem

The first centralized technology center for the NYPD (New York Police Department), whose primary purpose is to give field officers and detectives comprehensive, instant information to help identify patterns and stop emerging crime. The Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) is the first of its law enforcement technology center kind anywhere in the world although many fictionalized centers have been portrayed in movies and other fictional media.

The RTCC opened on July 18, 2005 and provides support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The crime center was built at a cost $11 Million. The information in the center is available to the 37,000 uniform members of the New York City Police Department.


The RTCC uses a number of data sources including a massive data warehouse in which billions of records are made available to detectives and other officers within minutes, instead of days or weeks. These include but are not limited to:

  • More than 5 million New York State criminal records, parole and probation files
  • More than 20 million New York City criminal complaints, arrests, 911/311 calls and summonses spanning five years
  • More than 31 million national crime records
  • More than 33 billion public records

The Crime Center employs satellite imaging and sophisticated mapping of New York City (using Geographic Information System software) precinct-by-precinct. The link analysis capacity of the RTCC can track suspects to all of their known addresses and point detectives to the locations where they are most likely to flee.


External Links

Stopping Crime in Real Time
NYPD Unveils High-Tech Real Time Crime Center At Police Headquarters
Real Time Crime Center
New York's Techno Crime Fighters
Bloomberg Discusses Technology Enhancements for NYC Emergency Responders
Real-time crime fighting comes to Gotham NYPD opens Real Time Crime Center
Fighting Crime in Real Time