Community Corner
City Unveils New Hi-Tech Crime Fighting System
The LBCOP coordinates existing technologies and live camera feeds into one revolutionary system designed to help officers maintain safety in a variety of situations.
Call it big brother or friendly eyes in the sky, one thing’s for sure--the city is safer thanks to a new Long Beach Common Operating Picture system that combines real-time camera feeds and law enforcement data into one big picture.
Find out what's happening in Belmont Shore-Napleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Strategically placed in public places such as parks, beaches and along business corridors, the 400 cameras that make up the LBCOP system that was unveiled today have already been in use for about two months.
In that time, LBCOP has helped police officers maintain safety during largescale events and even locate missing persons, according to a statement from city officials.
Find out what's happening in Belmont Shore-Napleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Long Beach is one of the largest and most diverse cities in California,” Mayor Bob Foster said in a statement. “We are committed to public safety, and equally as tech savvy. LBCOP is the city’s most recent triumph in implementing a crime fighting system that will pay public safety dividends into the future.”
And its potential reaches beyond the scope of simply monitoring events as they unfold--footage can aid investigations or even save lives in emergencies by linking myriad camera feeds and data systems into one connected unit.
By correlating technologies already at the city's disposal, civic leaders hope to increase efficiency and safety while combating crime in an entirely new way, one that gives them an enhanced look at crime.
"In this time of reduced budgets and decreasing resources, our community/police partnerships continue to be one of the most effective ways of making the community safer," Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement.
In addition to several city departments who have already joined forces--including technology services, police, parks, recreation and marine and finance--businesses and residents are urged to get involved, too, by synchronizing their own cameras or installing new ones and linking them into the citywide system.
Those interested in participating in LBCOP can contact the Long Beach Police Department's Information Technology Detail at (562) 570-7324.
For a detailed description of how the system operates, click on the video attached to this article.