CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va -- Stephanie Turnbull took a break from hanging out with her dog at a Chesterfield County park Wednesday afternoon to do some light reading. On her phone, she scrolled through online research related to real-time crime centers, a concept Chesterfield Police is implementing in the county.
Basically, it's a public safety hub where law enforcement can have all their crime-fighting technologies in one place, allowing for constant camera surveillance, immediate access to identifying information, and tracking emergencies as they happen.
Multiple jurisdictions across the country and in Virginia have established these centers or are in the process of creating one, including Richmond and Norfolk.
“If they can see in real-time what’s happening, where it’s happening, if they can get any identifying factors or help with an investigation much quicker than canvassing, absolutely," said Turnbull.
In its 2022 recovery report, Chesterfield County noted the center will help "reduce crime in a given area through the use of technology" and identify criminal behavior "through less intrusive means than flooding an area with police officers."
This comes as the county saw a 24% increase in total violent crimes in 2022, to include murders and aggravated assaults, compared to the previous year, according to data collected by Virginia State Police.
The county set aside $2.3 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding for the real-time crime center, but Chesterfield Police will not say whether the center is up and running yet or if not, when it will be.
During an April Board of Supervisors meeting, Chesterfield Police Chief Jeffrey Katz was asked about it by a supervisor after his annual briefing to the board.
“You didn’t bring up the real-time crime center, and I don’t know if you’re ready to talk about it. Or? Not yet?" asked Supervisor Jim Ingle.
“We don’t ever talk about operational capacities," Katz responded.
"Okay, I just wanted to know if that was... I guess I already said it so I'm not hiding something. There is something that's going on that will again enhance your ability to serve the citizens to make sure that they stay safe," Ingle said.
CBS 6 requested an interview with Katz Wednesday to talk about the crime center, and he declined.
"We cannot comment on operational plans, strategies, or tactics, as doing so could compromise or affect our ability to keep the Chesterfield Community safe," Katz said in a written statement, adding that the department operates within "constitutional, legislative, and judicial constraints."
Shawn Weneta, policy strategist with the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union was critical of the police department's lack of details.
“We should know where our dollars are going," Weneta said. "The fact that law enforcement is being cagey with the information, the data, and what the capabilities of the technology are should give every citizen of Chesterfield and anybody that's passing through Chesterfield County pause."
On Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors is expected to accept a $555,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for law enforcement equipment such as automated license plate readers.
According to the state agency's item category review, some of that money will cover:
- $209,000 for Fusus One-- a cloud-based real-time crime center map interface that will combine private and public video streams into a single feed
- $111,000 for rifles
- $8,500 to retroactively cover expenses of three Flock cameras
- Other items such as helmets, holsters, and laser-aiming sighting devices
CBS 6 asked Chesterfield Police how these resources will be used, and they declined to answer.
Weneta said he opposed any expansion of police surveillance, especially license plate readers.
He argued the devices go beyond capturing just your license plate to include all the characteristics of a vehicle and tracking the direction in which it's traveling. Weneta added some departments harvest the data collected from the technologies for months and even years.
“There are all sorts of hazards that come with these license plate readers, and the invasion of privacy that accompanies them," he said. "It is really sort of this creepy, big brother feeling that you know that our movements, our interactions, all these different things are being monitored and recorded and stored."
But as Turnbull enjoyed a public space on Wednesday, she said she trusted her police department's efforts to protect it and the rest of the county.
She said she believed people who are not committing crimes should have nothing to worry about.
“We’ve been under surveillance of some sort for a long time now, whether people know it or not, and it's just bringing it to the forefront and keeping up with technology and crime as it's happening," Turnbull said. "I realize how helpful electronics can be. I can also see how they're more invasive, but as a whole, it's protecting not just one person or one person's opinions, but a whole group of people. I think it's valuable."
Turnbull said as a taxpayer, she would like to know the annual operating costs of a crime center, however, police would not answer that question either.
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