By Scott Feldman
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Here we are in 2026, twenty-one years after the first generally recognized RTIC, or Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), for the NYPD was established in 2005.
Since then, the formation and expansion of police department RTICs and Joint Operations Centers (JOCs) continue across the country. These centers employ many incredible technologies:
- Cameras throughout our communities, many with recorded, archived video capabilities
- License Plate Readers (LPRs)
- Drones as First Responders (DFR)
- Live-streaming of police cruisers and officer body-worn camera systems (BWCS)
- Software products that can connect with and integrate private and commercial camera feeds and information into police surveillance systems
- A plethora of various intelligence and information databases
- Not to mention the emerging use of facial recognition and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enhanced systems
RTICs have proven themselves to be a valuable asset, which can tremendously enhance public safety overall. The workload at the RTIC I work for has increased significantly over the past two and a half years and we are currently integrating our RTIC into a JOC with other public safety partners. Exciting times ahead!
Traditional crime analysts vs. RTIC crime analysts
I’d like to start by making an important distinction between a traditional crime analyst who provides criminal analysis (primarily) to detectives and department administrators (command staff) and an RTIC crime analyst.
In my experience, the traditional crime analysts who investigate cases are a very cerebral group who mostly work in isolation and possess exceptional technical computer and analytical skills and training for conducting in-depth research and analysis. They pour over many different investigative resources and then utilize analytical techniques and tools to make connections which identify crime trends and develop suspects. This culminates with the crime analyst giving briefings and/or creating comprehensive reports and charts to assist the detectives and department administrators with their decision-making on what/who to concentrate their limited department resources on and how/where to best deploy those resources.
An RTIC crime analyst, on the other hand, is much more dynamic, which does not usually require as much in-depth analysis but does require much more fluidity, flexibility and real-time communication with others: police dispatchers, officers, detectives, complainants, victims, witnesses, other analysts, professional staff members, as well as personnel from various other outside resources.
In addition, an RTIC analyst must have the ability and wherewithal to quickly understand and triage “What’s Important Now” (WIN), which is a law enforcement euphemism taught to officers in the police academy and in-service training. WIN can oftentimes change dramatically from moment to moment and the RTIC analyst must always be ready to adapt as necessary.
As stated above, in a nutshell, RTIC crime analysts act as a direct real-time conduit between the uniformed patrol officers and detectives investigating an incident and whatever sources of relevant information the analyst has access to and can then obtain and disseminate in an expedient fashion. From the moment that alert tone sounds on a priority call and officers are dispatched, the RTIC analyst must especially be on point because the clock is now ticking and time is of the essence.
When I first started my job as an RTIC crime analyst in October 2023, my boss gave me the following apropos advice my first week in the following text message: “I kinda had an epiphany earlier. Best way to explain your job. Ask yourself, if I was an officer on the way to this call, what would I want to help me get this done safely and effectively? Then do it.”
I continue to keep this advice in the forefront of my mind every day and even printed it out and have it displayed next to my RTIC workstation.
What makes an effective RTIC analyst
The following suggestions, which I’ve learned along the way, I believe can be beneficial for police departments looking to hire RTIC analysts and for anyone aspiring to become and develop as an RTIC analyst.
Law enforcement/policing experience. I believe that retired officers/detectives and Emergency Communications Center (ECC) personnel should be at or near the top of the list. It’s crucial that an RTIC analyst understand police operations and have had experience working in a dynamic, stressful environment. This is in order for the analyst to anticipate officer needs, obtain the necessary information expediently and then convey it effectively, oftentimes while under pressure and time constraints.
Be highly motivated, proactive and care about officer safety as their No. 1 priority. RTIC analysts should place a premium on obtaining and disseminating any relevant information and pictures which can enhance officer safety and/or otherwise assist with the officer’s investigative efforts while on scene.
Be humble, respectful and helpful to everyone. The job of an RTIC analyst requires a great deal of communication, collaboration and cooperation with others. Remember, as an RTIC analyst, we work for the officers and detectives, and our responsibility is to support them.
On that note, stay in your lane and remain focused on the task at hand. No one cares how you handled your calls “back in the day” and aren’t interested in hearing your self-aggrandizing war stories about how you saved the world when you were a cop. The only thing officers and detectives care about, and rightfully so, is what can you do for them now, today, on this call or incident.
Credibility is everything. Always abide by your word. If an officer or detective reaches out to you for assistance, and you tell them you will investigate a matter, you had better do so and then get back to them promptly. Even if it turns out you’re unable to provide them with the information/video, etc. they were looking for, always take the extra time to explain why a particular resource didn’t provide the desired results: a camera was down, not oriented in the right direction, didn’t archive properly, etc.
There is no quicker way to lose an officer’s trust and respect than to not take their request seriously, do a half-assed job or not respond back to them within a reasonable time.
Why proactive RTIC support matters
Be proactive. Continuously scan that CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) screen for the calls you might be able to assist officers with, and don’t hesitate to jump on the radio and insert yourself on calls you can assist with. Police officers and detectives have been getting the job done since time immemorial, long before the introduction of RTICs, and will continue to do the essential policing tasks with or without RTIC assistance, so jump in if you believe RTIC can assist.
Keep in mind, especially if you just brought a new RTIC online, that your officers and detectives might not initially even call upon RTIC to assist them for a variety of reasons:
- They might not know your RTIC is up and running
- They might not know what types of incidents or situations they’re supposed to call RTIC for
- They might not know what capabilities RTIC has which might be useful to them
- You haven’t earned the officers’ and detectives’ trust yet
- Officers simply don’t want RTIC involvement, thinking you’re just going to create more unnecessary work for them
However, in time, by being proactive and showing your commitment, you will hopefully win the trust of your officers and detectives and your RTIC will become a valuable and coveted resource for them.
Remember, RTICs are designed to be a “force multiplier” for our officers and detectives, especially as our beloved profession continues to lose experienced officers at an alarming rate and recruitment for new officers has become increasingly dismal.
Therefore, we as RTIC analysts must always prove our value day in and day out by showcasing our technological capabilities to enhance and solidify officers’ cases. An RTIC analyst’s goal should be to make the officers’ and detectives’ jobs safer, easier and more efficient by providing them with timely, relevant, accurate and well-documented information from the camera feeds and intelligence resources we have at our disposal.
Be thorough and document what you do. RTIC analysts have become an integral and valuable part of the law enforcement mission and, as such, our work and actions will be scrutinized, audited and evaluated for effectiveness. Therefore, an RTIC analyst should keep thorough notes and document what resources you accessed, information you obtained and disseminated and be able to articulate how you reached any particular conclusion about a situation or individual you investigated.
Remember, what we do behind our computer screens and convey to the officers and detectives will ultimately be evaluated by a judge or jury in court, and none of us want to be humiliated as being incompetent, lazy or unethical. So the RTIC analyst should always strive to be that valued asset, not a detriment to the policing mission.
Remember, there’s always someone watching the watchers.
Good luck!
About the author
Scott Feldman began his public safety career serving as a U.S. Army paratrooper and intelligence analyst with the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Airborne (SFGA), in Okinawa, Japan, from 1981 to 1985. He later earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Montgomery College in Maryland before beginning his law enforcement career with the Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department (MCPD) in 1990.
Feldman retired from MCPD in October 2023 after 33 years of service. He spent most of his career in uniform patrol — his greatest professional passion — but also served on two different plainclothes tactical units known as Special Assignment Teams (SAT). About one month after retirement, he accepted a position as a civilian contractor crime/intelligence analyst for MCPD’s newly formed Real Time Intelligence Center (RTIC).
