By Laura Crimaldi
Boston Herald
BOSTON — When shots are fired, Boston cops plan to zoom right in on the action.
Police yesterday unveiled the Real Time Crime Center that uses centralized surveillance images from Transportation Department cameras and 84 Homeland Security cameras located on the city’s evacuation routes.
The system’s surveillance capacity could grow as city officials discuss plans to integrate their video systems with ones maintained by the MBTA and the Boston Housing Authority, officials said.
“It’s a place where we pooled all the technology available to us,’' said Police Commissioner Edward Davis. “We’re actually pooling the information better, collecting it better and getting it off to the officers in the street.’'
The center is staffed by detectives and five civilian analysts, who monitor radio communications, video from the city surveillance cameras, alerts from the gunshot detection system ShotSpotter, mapping technology and other databases. The civilian analysts were hired with federal stimulus funds, officials said.
“This program here continues to do the work that we need,’' said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “They continue to give the men and women on the streets of our city the tools they need to continue the reduction of crime in the city of Boston.’'
The New York City Police Department was the first to launch such a unit. Boston officials said the city’s fiber networks have the capacity to take on feeds from additional surveillance video systems and other sources.
The unit is located in the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, which serves the city and eight surrounding communities. Chief Information Officer Bill Oates said the city is also in the procurement process for a new communication system to give fire and Emergency Medical Services dispatchers access to mapping technology and other data now being pumped into the new police crime center.
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