Smyrna Police Department introduces new real-time crime center

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Smyrna Police Department gave Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell an exclusive look at its new real-time crime center.

The department is using technology while partnering with other police agencies that use the same tools to tackle crime in and outside of Cobb County.

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The Smyrna Police Department calls its real-time crime center a game changer. They said it gives them more eyes, and more places in real time to help navigate how they deploy resources and or to cut down the time length of investigations.

“The software that we have is the same software that Cobb PD has. While our center is not the same size and scope, our capabilities are. We’re collaborating and we’re leveraging our partnerships to be effective crime fighters,” said Major Louis Defense with Smyrna Police Department.

“It’s a force multiplier. It’s also an excellent recruiting tool for young officers really,” said Meredith Holt, who is the public information officer for the Smyrna Police Department.

The technology has proven to solve cases more quickly, according to Aria Marshal, who is a new officer on the force. Marshal says she used the real-time crime center to help her solve a recent crash.

“Everyone had conflicting stories. I was able to view the video and actually see what happened,” said Officer Marshal.

SPD’s real-time crime center is staffed with one analyst for now, but there are plans to expand the center in the future.

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“We have one analyst. She is really the brains behind this operation, she knows how to access and navigate this information and feed information to officers as needed. She knows how to contact other departments as well,” said Holt.

Holt played a vital role in getting the center up and running after she secured funding through a grant.

“A Department of Justice grant came through the state of Georgia to help fight violent crime. We looked at the grant and looked at our state during COVID and we decided that this technology was the way to go,” said Holt.

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