The Big Apple’s Finest Turn To Dimension Data

The new $11 million Real Time Crime Center employed by the New York Police Department is an example of local government’s growing interest in IT integration solution packages. The center is staffed round-the-clock with more than 20 staffers sifting through high-powered databases at 15 analyst workstations. Its customized network contains more than 5 million criminal, parole, and probation files; 20 million complaints, emergency calls, and summons; 31 million national crime records; and 33 million public records. Data about suspects is cross-referenced and patterns of criminal behavior analyzed automatically. Center staffers can send vital information to detectives on the beat via phone, e-mail, fax, or pager. A real-time dashboard allows dispatcher to access the system to direct patrol cars in emergencies. A mapping application helps identify patterns and alerts officers of nearby landmarks during chases. “This gives us the ability to find suspects like we’ve never had before,” says NYPD CIO Jim Onalfo of the tool. “We can find witnesses now, even if they’ve moved many times. Every shooting we’ve had in the past week has been input into this new center, giving us the information faster than we’ve ever had it before. As a result, detectives are following up with more leads, much more quickly.” The first phase of the project was launched in July. A second phase is now in the works. With it, ID analytics will be used to identify suspects who use various aliases. IBM’s WebFountain may be added to the mix to provide better search and analysis functions and translate foreign-language text into English.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the GovernmentVAR (09/05/05) P. 11; McCafferty, Dennis .