Police Unveil Crime-Fighting Real-Time Information Center

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Howard County Police Department announced Monday the creation of a Real-Time Information Center, a new technology initiative aimed at giving officers and investigators real-time situational awareness during active incidents.

“We continue to invest in innovative technology as well as data-informed and people-driven strategies that help us better serve our community, enhance public safety, improve transparency and support our officers in the field,” said Howard County Executive Ball at a news conference. “Over the past several years, my administration has work diligently with HCPD to embrace modern technology and make significant advancements in modern policing tools and systems. Our RTIC reflects our continued commitment to modernizing how we police, strengthening the partnerships we have built with this community and enhancing public safety while fully protecting the individual rights and freedoms of every resident and visitor.”

The RTIC platform is designed to improve HCPD’s response efficiency, strengthen investigative work and help officers anticipate criminal activity while streamlining access to information that previously required consulting multiple separate systems by consolidating live data from multiple sources into a single operational view, including:

• Body-worn cameras;
• Drones;
• Public and voluntary private security cameras;
• The county's 911 computer-aided dispatch system; and
• Automated license plate reader cameras.

“When an incident unfolds, our officers and investigators need the right information, in real time, in one place,” said Howard County Acting Chief Terrence O. Benn. “The RTIC is designed to give them a unified operating picture that supports faster, safer and more coordinated decision-making. Officers will no longer be toggling between disconnected systems during a fast-moving incident; they will be looking at one consolidated picture, updated in real time.”

Work on the RTIC began in February and HCPD has since made substantial progress on the system, including:

• All RTIC technology infrastructure and supporting equipment have been deployed and are fully operational;

• Completion of computer-aided dispatch integration ahead of schedule;

• Integration of Automatic Vehicle Location (HCPD vehicle GPS) and calls-for-service data;

• Camera integration is underway, with roughly 100 county cameras connected so far and more being added;

• License plate reader integration is currently in progress; and

• Body-worn camera and drone data integration continues to be built out.

In the coming months, the RTIC also will allow residents and business owners to voluntarily register their private security cameras with the system, giving investigators an additional resource during investigations when those owners choose to participate. With this voluntary registration feature, HCPD emphasizes the RTIC is designed to enhance public safety while protecting the individual rights and freedoms of every resident and community member.

HCPD continues to work closely with the county’s Department of Technology and Communication Services to expand camera coverage and meets weekly with county government and technology partners to support the rollout.

“The greatest benefit of a real-time information center is situational awareness. When leaders have immediate access to accurate information, they can anticipate challenges, coordinate resources effectively and drive better outcomes,” said Chief Administrative Officer and former Chief Information Officer Brandee Ganz.

HCPD is investing approximately $200,000 per year in the next five years to fully implement the RTIC.