The city of Peoria is in the early stages of designing its Real-Time Crime Center with the goal to have investigators and police officers respond faster to crime and emergencies.

Other cities like Mesa and Glendale already use it. It takes information from technologies that already exist like traffic cameras and license plate readers, which is then shown in real time and all in one place.

Doug Steele, deputy chief of the Glendale Police Department, says RTCC can also use footage from cellphones.

"You can share that in real time with law enforcement, so law enforcement can see what you’re filming as they’re responding to the incident," he said.

Steele also brought the possibility of AI being used.

"We could say, 'hey we’re looking for a blue car,'" Steele said. He says this method is "much quicker than a person could to try to identify or locate possible leads."

In September, the Peoria City Council voted to use $2.6 million of state funding for the project. It is estimated to be complete by late 2024.

City of Peoria

Peoria City Hall