ST. LOUIS — After years of requesting access, St. Louis media members have gained access to tour the St. Louis Police Department's Real Time Crime Center. No recording devices were allowed on the tour, due to the reported risk of sharing criminal justice information.
Detectives can access more than 2,300 public and private cameras across the city in the center, along with 375 license plate readers. The department can access any of these cameras in real-time.
"They are consistently being used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, relative to events that occur,” said Detective Chris Gwaltney, who has worked at the center since 2015. "They're not actively monitored 24/7."
There are reportedly anywhere from one to four detectives in the room, at most, according to Gwaltney. That is partially due to limited staffing. Every frame of video, however, is stored digitally for 30 days, allowing detectives to view past footage.
"They will always assist on the back end of an investigation whether the manpower is there or not,” Gwaltney said. “We can always look back on that footage at a later date."
City leaders have previously been critical about how the information gathered at the center is used by police. A bill introduced to St. Louis' Board of Aldermen on Dec. 8 proposes any surveillance technology used by city police to first be approved by the board's members.
"An ordinance setting forth regulations for the use of surveillance technology by the City of St. Louis; requiring surveillance technology usage and specific technologies be approved by the Board of Aldermen after required public hearing, before any such surveillance technology may be used and plans may be put into practice; and containing a severability clause and emergency clause," the bill's summary reads.
Gwaltney, however, would like to see the center have more cameras installed citywide.
"They provide a force multiplier when you deal with the decreasing number of police officers on the streets it allows a little additional assistance from the technology,” Gwaltney said.
The department attributes 600 arrests and the recovery of 430 stolen cars in 2023 to information from the center. The center has reportedly aided in 4,242 arrests and the recovery of 2,733 stolen vehicles since it began in 2015. The center provides information for each of the department's officers, including homicide, robbery and carjacking investigations.
"It's the epicenter of a lot of investigations,” Gwaltney said. “It's utilized by every single officer that we have."
St. Louis residents with exterior cameras can also sign up to link their cameras to the center.
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