Knoxville's Real Time Information Center is officially live on a trial basis, and the city is inviting residents to plug their own cameras into the system. The hub links 10 newly installed, over-the-counter Knoxville Police Department cameras with voluntary business and home feeds so officers can see what is happening in real time when a 911 call comes in nearby. City officials say they are keeping this first phase intentionally small while they test staffing and the technology.
City leaders announced the RTIC's opening on May 28, describing the center as "operational on a limited basis" and currently staffed by a sergeant and two full-time, non-sworn RTIC specialists, with plans to hire two more. The department says the RTIC will run five days a week, can be switched on for special events or emergencies, and that it has purchased and installed 10 cameras after reviewing three years of calls-for-service data, according to the Knoxville Police Department.
Where the cameras are watching
The buildout has been hard to miss. The first camera went up at Chapman Highway and Moody Avenue, the opening move in what the department says will grow into a network covering busy corridors and key intersections. Local TV crews have already been tracking the early poles and housings, along with the broader plan to fold drones and other sensors into the RTIC as it develops, a move officials say is meant to speed up response times and support investigative work, as reported by WVLT.
How to opt in
The Connect Knoxville program gives residents and business owners two options. They can register a camera so police know it exists and who to call if they need footage, or they can integrate a camera so KPD can access it during calls for service or follow-up investigations. Integration uses the Fusus platform and usually involves a small hardware device, and owners can set rules about which cameras are viewable and when KPD may look in. Scott Erland, KPD's communications manager, told the Knoxville News Sentinel that "we would not be able to override owner settings and permissions."
Privacy safeguards and oversight
The department has written rules that spell out what the RTIC can and cannot do. The RTIC standard operating procedure states, "The use of facial recognition technology in conjunction with RTIC systems is prohibited," and bars collecting or keeping information about groups based only on protected characteristics unless it is tied to a specific investigation. The policy also requires that all RTIC system access be logged and open to audit and says any suspected misuse must be documented and can lead to administrative review, according to the department's policy RTIC SOP.
What critics and advocates are watching
Privacy advocates in other Tennessee cities have already raised flags about where police cameras end up and how broadly surveillance tools are deployed, and some Knoxville residents say they want regular public reports and some form of independent oversight. City officials respond that participation from private cameras is voluntary and point to the audit requirements and documentation rules as their transparency backstop, points local reporting has highlighted, per WVLT.
Residents who want to take part can find registration and integration details at Connect Knoxville or reach the RTIC directly at [email protected] or 865-215-7709 for more information. The department urges camera owners to double-check their settings before integrating and notes that access can be revoked at any time.
