Aurora City Council members recently approved purchasing analytics software for the Aurora Police Department’s Critical Incident Intelligence Center.
The $666,328 five-year contract with George-based Fusus was approved Sept. 26 by a 11-1 vote, with Ald. John Laesch, at large, the only City Council member voting against the contract.
The software will upgrade the operating system for the intelligence center, which began in 2019 with the mission to use smart technologies to deploy police faster and more efficiently, officials said.
In 2021, the office was reconstructed to add a large video wall for monitoring various data sources as a real-time crime data center.
Police officers and analysts are able to gather and disseminate information on crime tips, trends, statistics and social media information through using the new software.
The new software integrates incident pop-ups, locations and real-time videos from officer body cameras, videos from other security cameras, Shotspotter incidents, stolen vehicle alerts, private camera systems, the city’s GIS mapping and floor plans from businesses and schools, Aurora Police Lt. Andy Walcott said.
The software allows police to view a lot of live data from multiple sources in one single view, according to officials. Officers will also be able to access this information immediately from their cellphones.
The locations of all available officers will be able to be mapped out through the software so that when a call for service pops up, police officials can easily see who is the closest to provide help, Walcott said.
If a suspect is fleeing or a crash just occurred, analysts could quickly click to see the city’s live cameras in the area and see how the situation is unfolding, according to officials.
The City Council had previously allocated $59,000 in its 2022 budget for software upgrades, but the police department was delayed in purchasing the software after the vendor they had originally selected was found to have a lot of hidden fees, Walcott said.
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Police will also be able to link to cameras that businesses choose to share with police so officers can see a live view, Walcott said.
Around 20 departments in the state use the software, including the Oak Brook Police Department, which receives live footage for Oak Brook Center, and the Orland Park Police Department, Walcott said.