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Real-Time Crime Centers

Miami Gardens Real-Time Crime Center

Miami Gardens Real-Time Crime Center

Miami Gardens Police Department
Miami Gardens, Florida

Two police analysts sit at workstations in front of a video wall.

Source: City of Miami Gardens, FL

 

Overview

The Miami Gardens Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC), completed in August 2016, was created by the city in partnership with the private vendor CineMassive.  The RTCC features technologies such as video surveillance cameras, automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), gunshot detection, and crime analytics on a single, real-time visualization platform.

Backstory 

Housed in the Miami Gardens Police Department's headquarters, the RTCC was initially funded as part of a $60 million general obligation bond, which was approved by residents in 2014

Real-Time Crime Center Operations 

Outside the Real-Time Crime Center 

The Miami Gardens RTCC accesses a closed-circuit video feed containing real-time footage from at least 400 cameras. The RTCC also has access to ShotSpotter technology, which involves a series of sensor that detect suspected gunfire and maps the location where the suspect gunfire occurred. The center also uses Live Earth, a digital platform that pulls real-time data from emergency calls, surveillance applications, and more, into a live 3D map of the city. ALPRs were installed in 2017 at 24 intersections and connected to the RTCC. In 2020, the RTCC gained the ability to receive live footage from drones during public events.

Inside the Real-Time Crime Center 

The Miami Gardens RTCC— located inside the Miami Gardens Police Department headquarters—is comprised of two rooms—a control room for day-to-day operations and a Joint Operations Center (JOC) for collaborating with federal agencies.

In the main control room there are three bright CineView LCD video walls that display camera feeds and real-time policing tools. In the JOC, a video wall and two auxiliary displays are mounted above a conference table for all participants to keep track of the other room . In addition, there are remote connections to the RTCC video feeds in the police chief and assistant police chief's offices, as well as at the police department's conference room. Miami Gardens analysts have also used PredPol predictive policing technology and BriefCam video analytics. 

Uses and Controversies 

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new RTCC in 2016, the Miami Gardens Police Chief Antonio Brooklen said the center’s new technology would be helpful in achieving the department’s four pillars of focus: policing and patrol, being reactive through investigating, being proactive through surveillance, and garnering intelligence through crime analytics. 

Local officials disregarded concerns related to civil liberties, with Brooklen telling the Miami Times: “Safety and freedom aren't always free. And it's a small price to pay.”

The following year, the department beefed up the operation after the city council approved spending $2.4 million to deploy networked ALPRs. The Miami New Times wrote that civil liberties groups like the ACLU raised privacy concerns about the use of ALPRs, and the newspaper noted that could be a particular concern in Miami Gardens because, just three years earlier, the police chief that preceded Brooklen resigned after reports of the department routinely harassing mostly African American patrons at a local convenience store.  

In 2020, the RTCC played a significant role in security at Super Bowl 54 in Miami, including monitoring camera feeds. In addition the company Volaraeo broadcasted live footage from tethered drones to the RTCC during the Super Bowl and the accompanying SuperFest.

Links

Miami Gardens Police Department: RTCC Statement

Calvin, Giordano & Associates, Inc.: Statement on Miami Gardens RTCC

The Miami Times: New Real-Time Crime Center in Miami Gardens Police Department

PoliceOne.com: Miami Gardens Police Department Celebrates New Real Time Crime Center

Cinemassive: Miami Gardens Real-Time Crime Center (Video)

Commercial Integrator: Inside the High-Tech Real Time Crime Center That’s Keeping 110,000 City Residents Safe

Miami New Times: Miami Gardens Is Spending $2 Million on License-Plate Readers

CBS Miami 4 News: Inside Law Enforcement’s Security Hub In Miami Gardens Ahead Of Super Bowl 54

Press Release: Volareo drones endorses Dejero’s smart blending technology (SBT) used with Miami Gardens Police Dept. during Superbowl LIV & Superfest 2020 events

Last Updated Nov. 13, 2020