How Richmond Police is using new technology to track down criminals

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Richmond Law enforcement Division (RPD) is working with new technological innovation to battle anything from targeted traffic violations to shootings in the city, and is presently looking at outcomes.

Throughout a criminal offense briefing earlier this month, RPD Performing Main Rick Edwards declared the department’s use of license plate audience and firearm testing, equally of which he said could pace up legal investigations.

“It delivers impartial investigative qualified prospects and allows resolve all types of crimes,” Edwards explained about the license plate visitors.

The license plate readers are operated through a application referred to as Flock. The photo voltaic-powered cameras sit on major of black poles and capture “snapshots” of each and every car or truck that passes by it. It does not history 24/7 as a surveillance video would, but it does put most likely essential information and facts at the finger suggestions of officers.

“Our officers can use their town-issued mobile phones to get alerts of stolen cars and trucks, Amber Alerts for lacking young children, or they can use it after a crime to see which cars have still left the scene,’ Edwards claimed.

The division has invested in 36 flock cameras throughout the city. The division did not specify the exact place of the cameras, but say they are strategically positioned in high criminal offense neighborhoods. 8Information identified two of the cameras in the Fairfield and Mosby Courtroom spots.

“It’s a actually important tool and force multiplier for us,” Edwards explained. “It’s a section of our approach of leveraging technology to combat crime.”

In addition to Flock, the office is also making use of a NIBIN device, which stands for Countrywide Integrated Ballistic Data Community. The community is a partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and gives testing abilities for every single firearm found at a crime scene.

“Every time a semi-automatic pistol or rifle fires, the cartridge is ejected,” Edwards mentioned. “We match the microscopic information, almost like a fingerprint, and it backlinks to other crimes,”

RPD has examined 1,611 firearms so far, and officials say the know-how has by now led to an arrest in an officer-included capturing. In December 2022, an officer was shot at inside a patrol automobile in the city’s southside. Minutes later on, officers responded to a crash. Via NIBIN, the section was in a position to link the two incidents.

“While officers have been investigating the crash, they found a gun that was steady with the casings they located,” Edwards said. “Within one particular working day we were equipped to and url them jointly and we had been ready to demand Kevon Johnson with attempted cash murder of an officer.”

Detectives believe that this technique could velocity up other investigations by months. Edwards said this could make a large variation, considering that every single working day is crucial for the duration of these investigations.

“We need speedy turnaround on people conditions, and with our own NIBIN equipment we’re capable to get that,” he stated.