A first-of-its kind survey conducted by researchers at Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCCJ), shows strong community support for the Capital Region Real Time Crime Center (CRRTCC) and for local law enforcement more broadly.
The survey began in 2023, included 1,915 responses from adults across Leon County and found 72 percent of them believe the center is useful in reducing crime. The survey is the first to offer a comprehensive look at community support for a real time crime center.
The CRRTCC opened its doors about two years ago and is the only real time crime center with a college as an embedded research partner. The Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the FSU Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are the college’s partners.
Among its functions, the CRRTCC provides 24-hour, real-time support to local law enforcement, allowing them to more quickly and effectively respond to incidents from car wrecks to crimes in progress.
“These findings show the CRRTCC is delivering on our mission to translate our college’s work into positive outcomes for the community,” said CCCJ Dean Thomas Blomberg. “This is actionable data about what the center is doing well and areas where we can improve.”
On the center’s usefulness in reducing crime, the survey showed 72 to 80 percent of respondents across all income levels and racial groups believe the center is effective in fighting crime. Belief in the center’s usefulness in fighting crime differed among age groups with about 60 percent of respondents under age 49 agreeing the center is useful. Support increased to 72 percent among those aged 50-64 and jumped to 83 percent among those 65 and older.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the CRRTCC does not infringe on privacy but support for specific technologies used in the center was mixed. While body worn cameras received the approval of 80 percent of respondents, facial recognition and closed-circuit television cameras received just 40 percent and 47 percent, respectively.
“The CRRTCC is a hub where these technologies are used in real-time to support law enforcement,” said Professor Brian Stults, director of the Real Time Crime Center Research and Policy Institute in the college’s Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research. “People often form opinions about these tools based on what they see in movies or on TV, which can lead to misconceptions. One of our goals is to help the public better understand how these technologies are actually used—and whether they’re working.”
Part of that work includes explaining the policies that are in place governing the center, said Assistant Professor Julie Brancale, who is also a co-director of the Real Time Crime Center Research and Policy Institute.
Brancale noted the CRRTCC’s policies, in adherence with federal, state and local law, are the bedrock of its operations and that oversight of how the technology is used is constant.
“Helping members of the community understand that technology like closed-circuit cameras and facial recognition —the two that drew the most concern about privacy— are being activated only in certain situations is important,” she said. “Those are passive technologies that are only being used if there is a direct reason to do so.”
Instances in which those technologies are used are recorded and reviewed.
“When the center was just an idea, we wanted it to be a model for all other RTCCs to follow,” she said. “Transparency with the community and sharing our research to inform the development of other RTCCs is part of the mission.”
To that end, Brancale said the center receives phone calls from existing centers throughout the country—and from officials looking to launch one in their community.
A second survey gauged sentiment of the CRRTCC and its technology among 423 members of local law enforcement, including line officers, command staff, analysts and middle management. More than 92 percent of respondents in each of those groups believe the technologies improve public safety and the safety of officers and deputies.
Leon County Sherrif Walter McNeil seconded the approval voiced in the law enforcement survey and said the center represents a successful partnership that figures to be so for years to come.
“As innovation and technology continue to grow, I am confident the CRRTCC will be at the forefront, ensuring we are equipped with the best resources to protect our community,” he said.
On balance, Brancale said the surveys provide crucial information that will shape the center’s operations and public knowledge about its role in the community.
“At a foundational level, there needs to be a mutual understanding between the community and law enforcement,” she said. “We all live in Tallahassee and Leon County together. Operating with transparency and sharing mutual concerns builds trust and keeps us all that much safer. That starts with transparency.”
For more information, visit the Real Time Crime Center Research and Policy Institute.