FAIRFAX, Va. — The Fairfax County Police Department offered a behind-the-scenes look at its Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), a nearly two-year-old facility that has played a key role in solving over 6,500 cases with the help of integrated technology and live intelligence tools, WUSA reported.
Operating 24/7 with a team of 10 staff members, the RTCC combines three primary components: a countywide network of license plate readers,, community-based camera feeds, a tip-based Crime Solvers program and an expanding system of license plate readers.
“We want to provide a virtual layer of officer safety for our patrol officers that are working out on the streets,” said Captain Hudson Bull, who helps oversee the center.
Bull referenced a recent incident where an officer shot and killed a driver who was accused of opening fire during a traffic stop. Because the officer’s holster was equipped with a sensor that automatically triggered the body camera, RTCC staff were able to livestream the scene as it unfolded.
The department’s camera network includes footage from the Virginia Department of Transportation and privately owned surveillance systems registered through the Connect Fairfax County initiative, according to the report. Homeowners and businesses can voluntarily register their cameras, allowing officers to request footage after an incident. In some cases, businesses grant law enforcement direct access during emergencies.
“There’s a circle with a camera,” Bull showed WUSA. “If I were to click on it, it will tell me that person’s name and contact information so that I can email or call them and request footage and see if they can check their cameras for footage of an incident that happened in their area.” Currently, 350 private cameras are registered across Fairfax County.
Among the RTCC’s most effective tools are LPRs, which were introduced in 2023. So far, they have contributed to 1,073 cases, including the recovery of 374 stolen vehicles, 650 arrests and the seizure of narcotics in 128 incidents. Bull cited two cases in which witness photos of suspect vehicles were matched using license plate reader data, allowing officers to quickly locate and apprehend suspects.
“This made them much more effective and efficient in their jobs than they would have been without the use of technology,” Bull said.
The RTCC also processes tips submitted through the county’s Crime Solvers program. To date, 180 tips have been received, with $5,250 awarded to tipsters.
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