Real Time Crime Center to open on RCGC Campus

The center is the second to open by the New Jersey State Police.

Criminals in New Jersey’s six southern counties are being put on notice. On Friday, Feb. 24, the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations & Intelligence Center opened their second Real Time Crime Center on the Rowan College at Gloucester County campus.

The Real Time Crime Center South, located in the college’s Law & Justice Education Center, is the latest regional information and intelligence sharing center to provide state and local law enforcement agencies access to a network of technology and tactical information. Law enforcement now have a central southern command center designated for the exchange of crime and threat-related data where information can be shared in order to create a “real time” picture focused on establishing patterns of criminal activity.

“The cooperation and vision of RCGC leaders and the newly expanded Law and Justice Center is a key reason why this real time crime fighting center will operate here,” Senate President Steve Sweeney said. “Fighting crime is a 24–7 job and our law enforcement agencies need all of the advantages they can get. By creating a single location where local and state law enforcement agencies can utilize technology, intelligence and resources, they can help keep our communities safer. It is a testament of the modern facilities here, much in part funded by the higher education bonds that were issued by the state, that the New Jersey State Police chose Gloucester County as their location for this center.”

The securing of a fully customizable, centralized location with a task force environment and connection to the ROIC will assist with disseminating intelligence data statewide. Law enforcement executives credit an information sharing environment with helping to disrupt crime patterns to better serve the citizens of New Jersey.

“This new state-of-the-art facility is driven by data collection, analysis, and information sharing, which will help law enforcement become more efficient in solving crimes and enhance our ability to develop and implement crime-prevention strategies that will make our communities safer,” Colonel Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said. “Troopers, law enforcement partners and college personnel assigned to the Real Time Crime Center will have a suite of powerful, cutting-edge technologies that will provide meaningful support to our regional law enforcement agencies.”

Coordinated by the state police in cooperation with other policing agencies, the new command center contains 16 workstations manned by approximately eight officers. Based on the success of the first Real Time Crime Center in Northern New Jersey, research has shown an improvement to the quality of life in surrounding communities.

“The Real Time Crime Center is all about information flow and intelligence sharing among our partnering law enforcement agencies in the region,” Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said. “This revolutionary crime fighting center will serve as a force-multiplier for police agencies in their quest to keep our residents safe.”

As law enforcement agencies and investigators enhance skills and intelligence work to support state, county and municipalities within the tri-state area, RCGC students will also benefit from this new partnership. Gloucester County Police Academy recruits, as well as students enrolled in the college’s Law and Justice program, will have the opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art technologies that analyze data, along with the potential for future internships.

“The addition of the Real Time Crime Center to the campus serves to further enhance the collaborative partnership already existing between the college and law enforcement,” RCGC President Frederick Keating said. “The Sheriff’s Department has an office on our campus and provides support 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. This new alliance with the New Jersey State Police will continue to assist in the effort to keep people safe and protect the community while also exposing RCGC students to current investigative tools and trends.”

“This is a wonderful collaboration between RCGC and the law enforcement community. It really says something positive about Gloucester County that the New Jersey State Police chose to locate the Real Time Crime Center South here,” Gloucester County Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said. “They could have chosen any of the other five counties to serve as their base, but because of the beautiful facilities, we will have the benefit of this center right on our campus.”