West Palm Beach police reveal high-tech 'Real Time Crime Center' to catch criminals

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The West Palm Beach Police Department presented its new, Real Time Crime Center, Wednesday afternoon.

The room is equipped with advanced technology to track crime as it happens.

Sitting within the walls of this center are detectives and crime analysts monitoring countless screens showing real-time footage from locations all over the city.

“Our focus is to be so efficient in response time, and to put away bad guys,” said Capt. Michael Deighan, who has been with the police department for 19 years.

Deighan said police can also collect data from license plate scanners and keep tabs on 911 calls. The cameras work in sync with a technology called “Shot Spotter,” which tracks down a gunshot sound and where it came from within seconds.

“We don’t even need a 911 call. Our response time was within a minute and a half the last time we analyzed the number,” he said.

Other cities in Palm Beach County use them, like Riviera Beach.

“We’ll engage with the community," he said. "We’ll start knocking on doors. We’ll say, ‘Hey, we know this happened. Science has told us this happened. Do you know anything? Can you help us out?"

West Palm Beach police also announced Wednesday its creation of the Citizen and Business Camera Registration Program.

Along with police cameras, individuals and businesses can hook their own cameras into the police department's system in an effort to fight crime and keep neighborhoods safe.

“If we have an area of concern, or something happens, we know where the cameras are," Deighan said. " We can pull it up and retrieve video."

Deighan said your home surveillance cameras can help with cases like a Missing Persons investigation or a break-in in your neighborhood.

All information is kept confidential.

“We want it to be known, that if you’re going to do anything in our city, we’re going to arrest you and it’s going to be dealt with swiftly, and as fast as we can,” Deighan warned.

City commission approved this $1.2 operation earlier this year. The center launched in September.

Deighan said it’s proving to be a success so far and it’s well worth the investment.

If you would like to participate in the free program and register your cameras, click here for additional information.