Peoria uses $2.6 million of state funding for Real-Time Crime Center

PHOENIX — The Peoria City Council unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) to support a Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) in the city, at their regular council meeting in September.

Through the agreement, DPS will provide the city with $2.6 million to equip and operate the RTCC, tentatively planned at the Pinnacle Peak Public Safety Complex.

The aim of the RTCC is to have investigators and police officers respond faster to crime and emergencies. The RTCC uses information from traffic cameras and license plate readers and displays it in real time.

The RTCC will also centralize a broad range of current and evolving technologies in crime investigations, community policing and crime prevention.

Other cities in the Valley, such as Glendale and Mesa, have already implemented an RTCC.

The coordination of resources directs attention to high-crime areas, active crime in progress, large-scale public events that require law enforcement or fire-medical presence or response from the city.

“Providing our police and fire departments with the tools they need to keep Peoria a safe community, is a top priority for our city council and this facility is aimed at improving safety throughout our neighborhoods and commercial areas,” said Mayor Jason Beck. “It will strengthen the city’s public safety efforts to deter, identify and solve crime.”

Preliminary design and development work is currently underway, with a completion date set for late 2024.

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