The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office says they are elevating its crime-fighting capabilities with the implementation of a real time crime center.
According to LPSO, the center will pair advanced technology and cutting-edge software to help to improve the efficiency and accuracy of investigations as well as enhance officer and public safety.
The system, they say, is made up of a combination of hundreds of public and voluntarily-provided private video surveillance systems, body-worn and dash cameras and other integrative data technologies that can be accessed live by Real Time Crime Center Agents.
"The Real Time Crime Center enhances our abilities to respond to emergency situations much more efficiently," said Real-Time Crime Center Supervisor SSgt. Bobby Goodrich, "With the resources we have, we can see live what's going on at the scene and adjust our response appropriately."
LPSO says that while the center is very new, it has assisted with dozens of investigations both within and beyond parish lines. Those cases included locating missing persons, identifying and apprehending burglary suspects, producing suspects in homicide investigations and offering crucial support to the school resource officer program.
The Sheriff's Office says the crime center was instrumental in a recent case in Scott in which an attempted abduction suspect was identified, located and apprehended by law enforcement in a matter of minutes. In another case, agents gained intelligence which led to law enforcement locating a stolen vehicle from an armed carjacking out of New Orleans.
"It's been solving crimes that we usually wouldn't solve. Whether it would normally take us 30 days, now it's taking us three hours or so. Or maybe it's taking us 30 minutes," said Lt. Kevin Williams of the Criminal Investigations Division.
Through the integration of several different systems, LPSO says, a team of agents solely dedicated to monitoring and investigating crimes as they occur will provide resources that would otherwise be inaccessible to law enforcement.
"My mission as Sheriff is to do whatever it takes to ensure our agency has whatever tools necessary to effectively preserve life and public safety in our community. Whether it's the latest technology, staffing needs or upgrades to equipment, you can't put a price on saving a life," said Sheriff Mark Garber.
Future expansion of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office real time crime center will continuously be pursued, they say.
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