CHICOPEE — After discussing it at a City Council meeting on Dec. 3, Mayor John Vieau, with the support of Chicopee Police Chief Patrick Major and with the approval of the City Council, is implementing a real time information center to enhance safety in the community.
The info center will serve as a centralized technology-driven unit within the police department designed to provide real-time information and analytics to support patrol officers, police operations and investigations.
A real time information center will create opportunities for public safety teams to use intelligence and automation, allowing them to work smarter and faster.
The staff for the RTIC will be made up of a technology systems engineer, an analyst supervisor and an analyst funded by the city.
An additional analyst will be provided by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional services include a system to provide immediate translation services through the body camera, automated draft report writing based upon the data and information collected, “real-time” access to police policies and procedures and other enhancements to provide officers more time to police in the community and less time spent on report writing and office work.
This will lead to faster responses and more in-depth investigations. There’s also an opportunity to identify crime hotspots, trending patterns, and process improvements.
All of this can help deter bad actors and reduce offenses across communities.
The Information Center takes in information from various sources, including stationary cameras, cameras in police vehicles, mapping data, automatic license plate recognition, alert sources and alarm systems and dispatch centers.
The use of the tools and features available in real time information centers has shown in studies to have reduced crime in cities using them, improved investigation outcomes, and led to more accurate convictions.
There are over 150 Real time crime centers in the United States and that number is growing as police departments implement the capabilities and advantages of these centers in providing safety to the public.
Major explained, “A real-time information center is a powerful public safety platform.”
Major also explained the AI software is a multifaceted and closed system so it will “only use what we put into it.” It’s also going to be able to allow the officers and the body cameras to have an instant translator feature and expedite report writing.
Vieau stated that the City Council had an executive session a couple of weeks ago to discuss the funding requests and view the new technology.
At-Large City Councilor Tim Wagner also said that during the executive session, “with all of this AI innovation, they ensured me that there will be appropriate civilian safeguards and human checks on all the technology that’s being inputted in the department and I think it’s going to be a game changer in terms of policing not just in Chicopee or the commonwealth but across the nation.”
Vieau also shared his thoughts on how the info center and upgrades can help residents and police officers in the city.
He said, “We’re really interested in moving technology forward in the Police Department and frankly we’re going to be cutting edge when it comes to technology. Right now, we are [using] the Fusus system which is a camera AI system that’s been a tremendous help in the accompanying the PD and their daily operations. I am really excited about the future of the Chicopee PD.”
One of the mayor’s orders was the appropriation of $447,461 to the police expense account for computer software from available funds in the stabilization fund.
Vieau said this funding will be used for taser upgrades, the installation of body cameras and dashboard cameras as well as components of artificial intelligence and virtual training.
Vieau has always talked about the importance of public safety in the city and thinks this technology and program will help with that.
He said, “Public safety is paramount to the success of this community. We want to make sure that they have the right tools to not only protect themselves but to protect everyone that lives here. I often said if you don’t feel comfortable putting your head down on your family at night, you’re not going to want to live in the city of Chicopee. The addition of these tools will improve our ability to keep our community safe. The enhancements will provide more effective and efficient use of our police resources through predictive enforcement.”
