Introduction  

With staffing shortages and rising crime rates, law enforcement agencies nationwide must leverage technology to combat crime and enhance public safety. Real-Time Intelligence Centers (RTICs) play a crucial role in this endeavor, providing law enforcement with timely information and situational awareness. However, many agencies assume establishing an RTIC is out of reach due to costly technology, infrastructure, personnel, and maintenance expenses. Often, this means agencies are left to experience the drawbacks of isolated intelligence, including delayed response times and compromised officer safety. Flock Safety's customizable and scalable approach to the RTIC is a revolutionary solution for these challenges. Designed to empower law enforcement agencies of any size with cutting-edge tools, FlockOS® offers a comprehensive platform that integrates various technologies to create a robust and scalable RTIC.  

Understanding FlockOS®: Revolutionizing Law Enforcement Operations 

FlockOS® is a cloud-based public safety platform that seamlessly integrates first and third-party data across video, license plate recognition (LPR), and audio to deliver real-time intelligence and retroactive crime solving. This integration results in the creation of a scalable RTIC that equips law enforcement agencies with a comprehensive toolkit to tackle modern challenges effectively. 

FlockOS® presents an end-to-end solution that streamlines the entire investigative process to ensure evidence reaches the right personnel at the right time. By eliminating complexity, FlockOS® simplifies workflows for all users, offering decentralized access to consolidated intelligence through a single full-service vendor. FlockOS® not only supports your team by remotely identifying critical incidents and efficiently allocating resources, but it also provides objective, actionable data under your control—delivering more of what you need and less of what you don't. Moreover, FlockOS® prioritizes field safety by equipping officers with real-time information, enhancing their situational awareness. By amalgamating community cameras, evidence detection devices, and third-party data streams, FlockOS® offers a comprehensive view of your entire jurisdiction, promoting effective decision-making and ultimately enhancing public safety. 

Case Study: Elk Grove Police Department Enhances Real-Time Intelligence With FlockOS® 

Elk Grove Police Department in California successfully built a scalable, affordable real-time intelligence center by leveraging FlockOS®. By harnessing the power of the connected public safety platform, Elk Grove PD utilized the Flock tools they already used — LPR and video — and integrated them seamlessly with community cameras and third-party data. This gave them easy access to real-time intelligence, evidence, and situational context of a conventional RTIC, without the implementation, integration, and maintenance headaches. 

“FlockOS® is a one-stop shop for LPR, live surveillance video, live commercial video, officer locations, and more,” said Jamie Hudson, RTIC Manager for Elk Grove PD. “The OS is scalable, which will allow us to regionalize our real-time information center operations immediately, saving neighboring cities hundreds of thousands of dollars in build costs, and expanding our intelligence network in our region.”  

Often, cases involve collaboration between different law enforcement agencies. FlockOS® bridges the gap by providing a centralized platform for seamless inter-agency communication. Upon the decision to incorporate the FlockOS® platform, the focus expanded beyond the city of Elk Grove, encompassing regional considerations. A nearby jurisdiction, Citrus Heights, is seamlessly integrated within their RTIC. By leveraging this integration, within the first week of access to Citrus Heights' cameras, the agencies were able to solve a bank robbery series that had engaged the regional law enforcement community for quite some time.

In addition, FlockOS® empowers law enforcement agencies to consolidate live and recorded video feeds from both private and public cameras via Flock Safety Wing® Gateway. In Elk Grove's case, deploying Flock Safety Wing® Gateway provided them with expanded situational awareness while simultaneously encouraging local businesses and residents to actively participate in public safety by connecting their existing camera infrastructure and video streams. 

Conclusion 

As law enforcement agencies grapple with the demands of a rapidly changing world, FlockOS® emerges as a beacon of innovation. Its scalable Real-Time Intelligence Center (RTIC) capabilities empower agencies with integrated surveillance technologies, advanced analytics, and instantaneous alerts. By implementing FlockOS®, law enforcement agencies can elevate their operations, prevent incidents, and ultimately foster safer communities. As technology evolves, FlockOS® stands as a pivotal tool for law enforcement agencies aspiring to meet the challenges of the present and the future.