The Danville Police Department (DPD) recently received a Virginia Department of Criminal Justices Services Law Enforcement American Rescue Plan Equipment and Technology Grant for the completion of a Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) and a ballistic identification system.
This is part of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to reduce crime in the Commonwealth through the Operation Bold Blue Line initiative.
The grant, which totals $741,024, will be used to outfit a $434,890 RTCC in the new police department that will also serve as a back up to the City of Danville Emergency Communications Center on Lynn Street. Funding also includes a $153,110 Forensic Technology Inc Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) NIBIN Cartridge Cases Acquisition and Triage Package.
“Working with the community, we have been able to considerably reduce violent crime in the city of Danville over the last few years. These tools will allow us to build on those successes and expand our efforts to continue to make public safety a priority,” said Danville Police Chief Scott C. Booth.
Establishing a physical RTCC that contains two full-service 911 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) consoles and workstations to monitor real-time video feeds is the cornerstone of this project.
The RTCC will include two dispatch consoles and related radio equipment; 911 call processing equipment, service, and installation; phone service networking and configuration; computers, monitors and related hardware; and dispatch software licenses.
Currently, if the City of Danville’s main dispatch center goes down, the roll-over location is over 20 miles away in another jurisdiction. The co-location of a 911 dispatch center with the RTCC builds the capacity to communicate and respond to crime with real-time information, especially in critical incidents, special events and during planned operations.
IBIS will allow DPD to have a turnaround on ballistic evidence in 24-48 hours, and to quickly share those results with other localities. Currently, the standard turnaround for submission and results varies from 60-120 days through the Virginia Department of Forensic Science’s Western Lab in Roanoke, Va.
IBIS solutions provide timely actionable intelligence for the investigation of firearm related crimes, which has contributed to the arrest of thousands of criminals. IBIS uses specialized 3D microscopy to capture the unique markings left by firearms on fired bullets and cartridge casings. The powerful IBIS correlation algorithms reveal the strongest probable matches in IBIS networks representing millions of bullets and cartridge casings. A match found in IBIS is often sufficiently apparent to provide an investigative lead, without having access to the physical evidence.
Additionally, IBIS is the backbone of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) providing a valuable database of ballistic intelligence that can help link firearm crimes nationwide.
DPD has 131 dedicated officers who proudly serve the City of Danville residents and accomplishes its mission by actively engaging the community through the application of evidence-based policing practices. The department utilizes a neighborhood policing strategy dividing the city into two areas. These two areas are then divided into four quarters. The department is organized into four major divisions. Operations which consist of Patrol, Criminal Investigations, and Special Investigations. Services which consist of Professional Standards, Accreditation, Crime Scene, Property and Evidence, Community Engagement, Training, Recruitment and Retention, Parking Enforcement, Quartermaster and Police Records, Adult Detention and Juvenile Detention are part of the police department as well.
In addition, DPD works in partnership with the community to safeguard the lives, rights and property of the people served. With unwavering dedication, DPD provides innovative professional law enforcement services to the greater Danville community while always conducting ourselves with the highest ethical standards.
In August 2022, DPD moved into its new headquarters at 1 Community Way, located along Bishop Ave. and Memorial Dr. in the former Dan River Inc. Executive Building. As a part of the renovation efforts that took place, the department planned for a future RTCC space.