Chamblee police have thrown the doors open on a $2 million Real-Time Crime Center, a high-tech command room designed to give officers instant access to live camera feeds and automated license plate alerts. Unveiled on March 5, 2026, the hub ties together roughly 80 pan-tilt-zoom cameras plus a network of license plate readers into a single video wall and operations floor, according to city officials. Leaders are selling the new setup as a way to speed up investigations and cut down on crashes and hit-and-runs without putting more patrol cars on the road.
At the ribbon cutting, Chief Michael Dieppa walked reporters past the glowing screens and told them, "Welcome to the Chamblee Police Department's real-time crime center," according to CBS News Atlanta. The outlet reports the room is wired to monitor a mix of pan-tilt-zoom cameras and license plate readers, with video typically stored for 30 days unless it is pulled into an investigation. CBS also notes the department expects to add more cameras, and that federal agencies must formally ask the city for permission before they can tap into the feeds.
Funding and construction
The city relied on a nearly $1.37 million state Community Public Safety Grant, then filled the gap with local funds to get the Real-Time Crime Center built, WSB-TV reported. Chamblee's FY2026 budget book spells out the grant details and staffing plan, and shows construction kicked off in August 2025 as officials moved to install a video wall, consoles, and workstations. According to WSB, the city's total price tag for construction and equipment comes in at about $2 million.
How the center works
Inside the room, operators keep an eye on alerts from Flock Safety license plate readers and pan-tilt-zoom cameras that feed into the large video wall, which lets them follow vehicles in real time and quickly push leads out to patrol officers, CBS News Atlanta reports. Cavin, who monitors those live feeds, told CBS that after reviewing Flock footage, the city cut all accidents at the Peachtree Boulevard and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road intersection by about 50% and injury crashes by 58%. Police also say roughly 17 million vehicles roll through Chamblee each month, a volume officials argue makes centralized monitoring a crucial force multiplier.
Privacy and oversight
Not everyone is cheering the growing web of cameras and automated plate readers. Some residents and civil-liberties advocates have raised concerns about the expanding surveillance network, according to Atlanta News First. City council minutes show members signed off on purchasing Flock cameras for the first phase of the Real-Time Crime Center at a cost of roughly $559,062 over the first two years, suggesting the rollout moved forward through routine procurement channels, per a city meeting recap. Officials say internal policies are meant to restrict routine surveillance and require outside agencies to request permission before they can access stored footage.
What to expect
City leaders say the Real-Time Crime Center is built not just for Chamblee but to back up neighboring agencies across north DeKalb and the broader metro Atlanta area, and they hope nearby departments will eventually partner on alerts and data sharing, WSB-TV reported. The FY2026 budget book recommends bringing on civilian intelligence analysts and two sworn RTCC officers as the operation grows. For now, existing staff are handling the screens and alerts while the city works through formal hiring.
