Chattanooga Police renovates RTIC surveillance center

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Chattanooga Police RTIC division unveils their updated and remodeled surveillance center.

“What we do is we assist the entire department in reduction of violence, crime, violent crime. That is our overall focus,” said Sergeant Billy Atwell, RTIC Supervisor. “We also assist the entire department on anything and everything that is happening, whether it is a patrol officer responding to a crash, or somebody going into a shooting.” 

Chattanooga created their RTIC unit in 2017. 

RTIC is a Real Time Intelligence, Technology, and Investigative Center at the Police Department. 

Sergeant Billy Atwell says it is a way to bring together real-time data through modern technology.

“With these cameras, it integrates all those systems like license plate reader, body cameras, city cameras, any partnering businesses, cameras we can put all those into this program. When we launch one program, we can access all the information,” said Sgt. Atwell. 

According to CPD, The RTIC Division started with only 15 cameras, but now they are currently up to 78 cameras.

Atwell says the new surveillance system increased CPD’s knowledge about what is happening at a crime scene. 

“We did an operation recently where we had a bunch of people in the center, they are sitting around the table, they have the ability to directly plug into fiber optics and use their computers and whatever they need to do from here,” said Sgt. Atwell. “They can also see what the officers are seeing on scene, and they can see what we are looking at the camera.” 

 CPD’s goal is to make Chattanooga a safe city for residents. 

 Atwell hopes they can even add more license plate cameras in the future. 

 “We do have license plate readers. Currently we have four, we’re getting close to 30 on a grant that should be installed sometime this summer, across the city,” Sgt. Atwell concluded.