Dimension Data, a global IT solutions and services provider, today announced its leadership role in the creation of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Real-Time Crime Centre, a new industry-leading, hi-tech crime centre designed to improve crime-fighting effectiveness and enhance officer safety.
In this role, Dimension Data worked with Jim Onalfo, NYPD CIO, to assess, procure, develop and integrate all of the required technologies to create a network and applications infrastructure to support the nation`s largest police force.
NYPD`s new crime centre, which was the vision of New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and architected by Onalfo, went online this morning and was unveiled to the public last week, during a press conference held by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly. Commissioner Kelly will personally direct and control the use and roll-out of this new concept within the NYPD, which is the first phase of a larger, multi-phase initiative. Video footage from the event can be viewed at www.nyc.gov.
With over 12 million emergency calls, 4.5 million radio runs, and 1.3 million complaint and arrest records processed each year, the NYPD is inundated with information - information that until now resided in multiple databases or only existed in hard copy. Consequently, the NYPD engaged Dimension Data to develop the investigative, data mining and reporting tools that will streamline the vast amounts of data that flow into the department on a daily basis, unlocking the patterns and trends contained within those reports - to combat crime and to exploit common links between criminal activity and groups. Giving officers, detectives and dispatchers real-time access to this critical information will not only facilitate crime analysis, but will also result in improved decision-making, better resource allocation and shorter response times.
"Protecting America`s biggest city is no small task, and we knew that in order to support our crime-fighting efforts, we needed to launch a revolutionary crime centre that took advantage of the latest technology," said Jim Onalfo, CIO, New York City Police Department. "Commissioner Kelly and I are confident that our dream of a Real-Time Crime Centre is now realised and the NYPD is now better equipped to serve our community and protect our citizens.
"We also knew we needed a technology partner, like Dimension Data, that could plan, build and support IT infrastructures and develop a strategy capable of meeting our unique requirements," continued Onalfo. "Dimension Data turned our information into useful tools for the Real-Time Crime Centre and built the modus operandi and pattern databases - and they did it all very cleverly. Frankly, I thought this portion of the entire project would be a long and difficult process, and with Dimension Data it wasn`t."
Dimension Data joined forces with Onalfo and his team to develop such crime centre capabilities as:
* Central information access - Officers, detectives and other department personnel can now access crime data, such as historical records or modus operandi profiles, from one central repository. This makes it faster and easier to access critical information that can be used to make on-the-spot decisions to fight crime.
* Crime pattern analysis - Rather than relying on crime analysts to weed through books of data, NYPD can now electronically access a central repository with real-time and historical data, facilitating more accurate and faster analysis of crime patterns and trends.
* Real-time dashboard - NYPD crime analysts now have a graphical, Web-based, real-time dashboard, making it faster and easier to identify available resources, such as patrol cars on duty or mapping of incidents in progress. The dashboard includes a ticker for high priority calls for service and includes charts that breakdown the number and types of calls by precinct.
* Mapping capability - Department personnel can now easily display information on a map, making it easy to identify patterns and trends. Layers on the map also provide a simple view of nearby landmarks and resources, such as hospitals, schools and transit lines.
* Real-time alerting - Police officers and detectives can now receive alerts with new information related to crimes they are assigned to.
* Reporting - Multi-dimension analytic software provides detailed reporting on complaints and complaint patterns, C summons, domestic violence, and housing summonses.
Dimension Data began the project by assessing the current capabilities and technologies in place at the NYPD. Based on that analysis, it then determined areas where new technologies were needed and areas where existing technologies would suffice. Next, Dimension Data selected leading technologies from multiple vendors to meet those needs and integrated them into the crime centre`s IT infrastructure - building custom applications when necessary. The company also managed the multiple vendors and partners involved.
Dimension Data`s work is one component of this multi-faceted, military-like crime centre, which also includes liquid-plasma displays that let operators view trouble spots around the city`s five boroughs in real-time. This display system covers a two-story wall and uses multiple Mitsubishi monitors and software from Activu. Individual large flat screen plasma monitors are mounted on other walls throughout the centre. These highly-detailed screens will allow NYPD staff to actually see the pinpoints in its maps from anywhere in the room. In addition, Dimension Data`s aforementioned work builds upon yet another project Onalfo is overseeing: the development of a crime data warehouse. The crime centre`s ultimate purpose is to connect the department`s intelligence, operations and anti-terrorism units to one another to enable quicker and more accurate decisions. For example, whereas it used to take hours to check licences, pull arrest records and identify crime patterns, it now takes only seconds.
"After assessing the technology needs of the NYPD, we knew we needed to build a crime centre that could scale beyond any that has ever been built and could support the largest police force in the nation for years to come," said Bob Cagnazzi, chief executive officer of Dimension Data North America.
"With the help of the NYPD technical staff, we took a holistic look at what capabilities would most enhance public safety and then seamlessly integrated the necessary technologies to deliver that functionality. The NYPD Real-Time Crime Centre initiative is a shining example for other urban areas to follow."
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