The City of Wichita Police Department’s new Real Time Crime Center and their growing use of monitoring technology will be the topic of discussion at a town hall meeting on Sat.., June 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Wichita State University Metroplex at 29th and Oliver.
The meeting, which will be co-hosted by Chief Joe Sullivan and 1st District Councilman Brandon Johnson, is designed to explain the technology involved with the center and how it will operate. In addition, Chief Sullivan is soliciting community input on the implementation of the program and to address any concerns citizens might have, particularly with privacy and the potential for biases within the system.
What is a Real Time Crime Center
Use of Real Time Crime Centers is a growing trend in urban policing across the United States. The centers bring together a broad range of current and evolving technologies in a location with staffing who can then use the technology in real time to make policing more efficient.
The City currently has some of this technology, like Flock/license plate reader cameras, that they currently use on a reactive basis to solve crimes. The Real Time Crime Center will use the cameras, combined with other equipment, on a proactive basis to help respond to crime while it is occurring.
As an example, when a call for police services is received, if cameras are available, individuals in the crime enter can look at and analyze the existing situation and make decisions about how many officers are needed to respond to the call and to provide officers who will respond with advance information about what is occurring on the scene. They might also be able to provide the officer with descriptive information about the perpetrator, reducing the need to pull innocent people into police actions on the scene.
In addition, Sullivan says the center could also be used to monitor high crime areas looking for violent crime activity. Currently, Chief Sullivan says cameras are only monitored on weekends in the Old Town entertainment district and only when volunteers are available.
In addition to the Flock cameras, Real-time data and resources that officers would have access to at the center includes:
- CCTV camera surveillance
- Live dispatched calls
- License plate readers,Flock Cameras
- Drone video coverage
- Body camera footage and officer location
- Live streamed social media platforms “to monitor any kind of threats that we might have”
- Online security platforms and footage, such as Ring cameras
- In addition to a variety of other online technology tools
Grants and Local implementation
In November, the City of Wichita applied for two grants to help fund the Real Time Crime Center. One grant for $500,000 was from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The second grant was a Community Oriented Policing Technology and Equipment Program invitational solicitation award of $1.65 million.
At that time, Chief Sullivan projected the program would take a year to implement
In the meantime, he agreed to meet with individuals in all four police bureaus ahead of implementation of the program to make them aware of the program and to receive input on camera placements and to hear any concerns individuals might have.
Bias and Privacy
During the City Council meeting where the grants and implementation of the program were approved, the major concerns expressed by citizens were about loss of privacy and potential bias and over policing in certain areas of the community.
These are some of the issues that individuals who attend the town hall can get further clarification on.
“You really want to make sure to turn out for this one,” Johnson told his constituents at his monthly 1st District breakfast on June 1. “Technology is getting more and more sophisticated. Right now there are surveillance cameras in use in other cities that are so sophisticated that they can read the print on your cell phone if you open it up to read or send a message. You need to think about how you feel about that.”
Johnson said he initially had some concern about license plate readers but it has proven to be a reliable technology that has helped police quickly solve crimes.
He added, however, that he believes it is important for all community members to understand what kind of technology is being used.
