At the Nov. 1 City Council Study Session, Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) Chief Mark Stainbrook reported a 34% decrease in crime since the launch of the Real Time Watch Center (RTWC) in June. Unveiled by Mayor Lili Bosse at her installation in April, the RTWC uses state-of-the-art technology to monitor the city’s sprawling surveillance network 24/7, which includes nearly 2,000 CCTV cameras, automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) unmanned aerial systems (drones), a fusion cell and Live911, a new system that allows officers to hear emergency calls live in the field as they come in and immediately respond without having to wait for instructions from dispatch. With nearly half a million dollars approved by the City Council to establish the surveillance hub in April, BHPD has since trained Virtual Patrol Operators from Covered 6 and Nastec International in CCTV monitoring, coordinated drone operations, installed 31 new license plate readers, and implemented Live911 software in the RTWC.
Citing “several incidents in the flats,” Councilmember Sharona Nazarian asked about using drones to assist officers in patrolling residential streets. In the past week, BHPD sent out four alerts for three crimes via Nixle, a community information service. On Oct. 28, officers detained a suspect for a robbery near Elevado Avenue and Beverly Drive. On Oct. 30, BHPD investigated a burglary on the 1300 block of Park Way, but no suspects were located. On Oct. 31, BHPD made an arrest for trespassing on the 500 block of North Palm Drive.
