NORFOLK, Va. — The city is moving forward with bringing a Real Time Crime Center to the police department to have one centralized location to monitor data and video from across the city in real time.
On Tuesday night, the city council will vote on accepting about $1 million from the state to outfit the center.
Real Time Crime Centers are already in use in Hampton and Newport News.
In Norfolk, the center will include technology to monitor video feeds in the city as well as an automatic license plate reader system.
Newly named Police Chief Mark Talbot is coming to the city from Hampton and said there are a number of benefits to having one.
"How it's been working for us in the city of Hampton is when you are positioned in the right neighborhoods and you're focused on the right people. Now, you're able to leverage the technology to enhance your understanding of the neighborhoods, the people there, the movement of cars, and people and situations and you take all of that and it'll allow you to do more than you would otherwise," Talbot said during his introductory press conference this week.
To pay for it all, the city is relying on money from the state as well as shifting the city's budget.
City Manager Chip Filer has proposed budgeting for 652 police officers, instead of about 770 officers.
The city currently has about 580 officers, so the money saved on not funding vacant positions can be used on the center as well as to fund officer raises.
"By immediately budgeting for 652, all of the savings that would otherwise not be applicable to us into May of next year, we can pre-budget all of that," Filer told News 3.
Filer also said 652 was a number for the 2024 fiscal year, but the city could once again budget for more officers again in the future.
"This is not me saying our department will only be 652. This is me saying in fiscal year 2024 we have to recognize what our reality probably is," said Filer.
The center could open later this year in City Hall, according to the City Manager's proposed budget.
