The Merced Police Department has added something substantial to its crime-fighting arsenal and as it grows it will help officers responding to emergencies, and will be a certain deterrent for lawbreakers.
The department’s headquarters on West 22nd Street now has its Real-Time Information Center set up in a 300-square-foot room that used to house dispatchers.
The darkened room is spacious and quiet with an array of large video screens on one wall monitoring various parts of the city.
Capt. Daniel Dabney said there are two fixed-position cameras mounted on poles around Merced and three mobile cameras mounted on trailers. With new FUSUS video monitoring software being phased in they are linked with about 225 city-owned cameras positioned in parks and public works facilities. And information from private surveillance cameras ultimately will be added to the mix.
“This is almost a mainstay in our industry. Throughout the state they are starting to pop up. They are solving tons of crime from the analysis alone. There is more demand than ever for the trailers,” Dabney says.
The Real-Time Information Center was set up on a tight $5,000 budget and took six months to build. For now it is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the hope to expand these hours later. All of the video footage is archived and retained for a year.
“They are all over the country now. The benefits of the price of the cameras versus adding more officers is obvious and cost-effective,” Dabney says.
The camera caught a recent fatal traffic collision between a city transit bus and a vehicle near 16th and N streets and was able to determine the direction of travel of the car before it hit the bus.
Lance Eber, one of the department’s two crime analysts, praises the monitoring system. He has been with the department for 17 years.
About a month ago the cameras were able to identify a shooting suspect at 16th and N streets and he was captured. The system is able to compile crime statistics and tracks future trends. Eber says.
Some cameras have analytic features. Cameras are being set up at the city’s newest park at Tyler and Mission avenues.
“I like it; it will definitely grow and benefit the department. It’s in its infancy but will grow exponentially when more money is available,” Eber said.
Some cameras have remote video speakers and police personnel can tell people to leave parks and other locations after-hours.
In the next 90 days the first phase of the software implementation will be complete. A plus is the video management system will allow the city’s equipment to work in synch with other private and public monitoring devices.
Police agencies in Modesto, Fresno, Chula Vista, Sacramento, Elk Grove and Beverly Hills have added these “Blue Light” surveillance systems and Dabney expects the number of systems to grow in the future.
“This is a big deterrent to crime in the community. If criminals know they are being filmed, they aren’t likely to steal things.”
Big box hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot have purchased monitoring trailers and other businesses are looking into purchasing or leasing these trailers, according to Dabney.
The department’s video surveillance capabilities also will help detectives solve more crimes.
“It’s putting the pieces of the puzzle together in an advanced way. We can trace the bad guys and start connecting the dots,” Dabney says.
What does the captain think about the advent of artificial intelligence?
“It’s very beneficial in our line of work. There are more pros than cons to it. But you have to take safety precautions. There is so much technology out there that it all comes down to money,” he says.
There is more to come.
In the department’s 2025-2026 fiscal year budget, money is set aside for a first responder’s drone. The drone is able to respond anywhere in the city in 2 minutes and will be useful in finding missing people, traffic stops or foot chases with criminal suspects. Dabney said some government regulations are being worked out regarding new drone technology and law enforcement strategies, but the MPD will be ready to launch when the time comes.
Doane Yawger of Merced is a semi-retired newspaper reporter and editor.