Modesto Police Department: Building an RTCC in the sky

Due to staffing shortages and budget constraints, the Modesto Police Department struggled to maintain a 24/7 real-time crime center (RTCC) on the ground. Assistant Chief Ivan Valencia collaborated with other agency leaders to address that challenge, ultimately landing on an innovative solution: Sky 1, an RTCC in the sky.

When the department’s terrestrial RTCC isn’t live, Sky 1 — a fixed-wing aircraft — flies to provide coverage. Modesto PD leverages Peregrine onboard Sky 1 to integrate data from disparate sources such as automated license plate recognition systems, automatic vehicle location information, computer-aided dispatch data, and video footage from the aircraft itself.

“Our tactical flight officer (TFO) is a sworn officer in Sky 1 alongside a civilian pilot,” Valencia explained. “The TFO is responsible for manning the camera, answering the radio, and giving people on the ground the situational awareness they need to respond to emergencies effectively. The last thing they have time to do is log into different systems and flip between tabs to get the data they need.”

But before Peregrine, that’s exactly what officers had to do.

“Peregrine solved that problem immediately,” Valencia said. “With a single query in Peregrine, our TFO can now access well-organized information in a single pane of glass. Peregrine means clearer information and faster communications between Sky 1 and officers on the ground.”

The California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) covered this story in its winter magazine. Read the full piece from CPCA here.