Real-time crime center

A class action complaint filed in New York State court on June 9, 2026 alleges Westchester County Police Department’s automated license plate reader system violates the state constitution and exceeds the department’s authority. The complaint says the system has at least 575 ALPRs, collected 264 million vehicle reads in 2024, and that over 99 percent were unrelated to any investigation. It alleges data is shared with ICE, FBI, and DEA without safeguards, and that Rekor Scout software captures driver images and may use facial recognition. Plaintiffs include a clinic escort and an immigration observer.

San Mateo County’s Project Sherlock, a $12 million AI policing system developed by C3 AI, has largely failed to deliver promised investigative benefits after three years. A timeline projected 14 agencies to be fully live by January 2025, but seven agencies—Atherton, Belmont, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Menlo Park, San Bruno, and South San Francisco—report lacking a fully functional product. A senior Sheriff’s Office analyst said: ‘My no BS assessment is that we’ve been working with them for two years and they have a barely functional product.’ The system has faced delays, login bugs, and data integration issues.

On February 27, 2025, the Savannah City Council considered authorizing the city manager to rescind the award for a Real-Time Crime Center Public Safety Platform from Fusus Corporation and re-award to Axon Enterprise, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $150,000. The original award to Fusus was made on July 27, 2023. Fusus was bought by Axon. The platform would unify Savannah Police Department data and operations, provide real-time access to over 1,000 cameras, integrate ALPRs, Flock, and Shotspotter applications, and create a voluntary community camera registry. The purchase is sole source from Axon.

The Metro Nashville Police Department entered a $175,000 sole source contract with Fusus on September 15, 2022, below the $250,000 threshold requiring council approval. Resolution RS2023-2380, aimed at amending the contract to $350,000 and extending it 12 months, was deferred indefinitely in subcommittees before the August 15, 2023 council meeting. The original contract expired on September 14, 2023. The report notes it is unclear what will happen to existing Fusus technology now that the contract has lapsed.

On March 10, 2023, the city of Shreveport disclosed that its Real Time Crime Center cameras do not comply with state and federal law because they are insecure and vulnerable to hacking. Mayor Tom Arceneaux said on KEEL radio, “I don’t think they are useful for anything because they are capable of being hacked into. We will probably eat them or sell them for scrap.” Sources estimated between 50 and 90 cameras were installed under former Mayor Adrian Perkins’ administration. The system must be replaced, and city administrators were warned of the noncompliance before purchase.

The Lens investigation found that the New Orleans Real Time Crime Center cost at least $10.4 million since 2017, based on confirmed purchase orders and payroll records. The figure includes $6.1 million in spending on equipment and services from Cox and vendors Active Solutions, Motorola Solutions, and LaTech, plus $4.3 million in payroll for 26 employees from 2017 through July 2021. The Lens reported that the true total is likely higher because the city provided incomplete and inaccurate records, and the city said it could not isolate RTCC expenditures from other Homeland Security spending.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office lost $500,000 in state funding to expand its Real Time Crime Center into a Fusion Center. Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $1 billion from Florida’s $93.2 billion budget due to COVID-19 impacts. The original request was $5 million; the Legislature had approved $500,000 for the project. The funding would have supported software integration, hardware, and renovations. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony had touted the center as a step forward in protecting the community. The RTCC provides real-time monitoring of schools and buildings.