The Chattanooga Police Department will adopt a new mobile app as a key piece of its evolving real-time intelligence- gathering system.
The Watson Field Reporting Suite will cut the current 15-day “data lag” down to minutes, Lt. John Chambers said before a recent City Council 9-0 vote to purchase a $387,960 data package that includes the software.
“How will this real-time intelligence help us across the board in keeping crime down or fighting crime?” asked Councilman Chip Henderson, chairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee.
“Having that intelligence immediately allows for us to provide tactical analysis of what’s going on right now,” Chambers said.
The Watson software only gives police officers the ability to charge offenses specific to Tennessee laws and rules, eliminating possible mistakes that can occur with the department’s current mobile ticketing app, which do not offer state-specific violations, he said.
This factor contributes to a prolonged crime analysis process because each digitally filed offense now undergoes multiple levels of review within the police department and ultimately requires approval by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Without having to undergo multiple levels of scrutiny, an officer’s supervisor can approve a filed criminal charge and log it into the police department’s database within minutes, Chambers said.
Each morning, criminal analysts can access data collected overnight to generate projections based on fresh information instead of being “15 days behind the curve,” he said.
In other business, Henderson announced the council would review proposed policies covering the use of body-worn cameras by the police department.
The council recently approved a $141,000 budget to equip 250 patrol officers and investigators with the devices.
In July, Chief Fred Fletcher said it should take a few months to purchase the new body cameras.
Chattanooga capital planning documents state the cameras “will allow video capture of contacts with community members, and will improve police transparency, resolution of public complaints, officer training, performance and accountability.”
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.