Enhancing Real-Time Crime Centers: The Role of Multi-Agency Collaboration in Regional Crime Intelligence

• In Event: Technological Advancements and Intelligence in Modern-Day Policing

Abstract

The number of Real-Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) has increased significantly in recent years. While RTCCs vary in size, scope, and function, they share the goal of providing real-time support to officers in the field. In addition to serving their own agencies, RTCCs often assist agencies and entities that do not contribute resources to the center, positioning them as valuable regional assets—similar to fusion centers but focused on local real-time crime intelligence. This study investigates whether this is particularly true for multi-agency RTCCs. We hypothesize that multi-agency collaboration enhances crime intelligence through pooled resources and increased information sharing, amplifying the RTCCs value as a regional crime control asset. The Capital Region Real-Time Crime Center in Tallahassee, FL offers a unique opportunity to explore this, as it transitioned from a single-agency RTCC at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office to a multi-agency collaboration including the Tallahassee PD and the Florida State University PD. Using shift summary data, we examine whether external agency assists increased significantly after the transition. The findings offer insights into how multi-agency collaboration enhances RTCC effectiveness not only among participating jurisdictions, but across the broader region.

Authors

• Dequan Cowell, Florida State University

• Brian J. Stults, Florida State University

• Julie Brancale, Florida State University