Michael Green, DCJS: “It really is the collaboration.”
GOSHEN – State and local law enforcement officials announced the launch of the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center (HVAC), located in the Orange County Emergency Services Center in Goshen on Wednesday.
The state invested $410,000 to renovate the space.
The center represents one of nine across the state that will work as
a network. The HVAC Center will serve the counties of Orange, Ulster and
Dutchess, encompassing 65 police agencies and 2,700 miles.
Access to a real-time feed of public surveillance cameras, a state-of-the-art video wall, a myriad of state databases and social media mining programs at the HVAC center provide law enforcement an optimized system for intelligence and evidence gathering.
Executive Deputy Director of the state Division of Criminal Justice Services Michael Green, who is also the head of the statewide centers, said the technology is advanced, but the most important piece to making these centers successful is jurisdictions working together.
“It really is the collaboration,” said Green. “It’s places like Newburgh and Middletown saying, ‘Yes, we’ll feed our cameras in, so that the cameras are up there. We’ll feed Shot Spotter in.’ It’s agencies agreeing we’ll provide manpower to the center; we’ll allow access to our records management systems, so that we can be part of the network and share information.”
Although the center has just become fully functional, local agencies have already reaped benefits from its use.
City of Newburgh Police Chief Douglas Solomon said due to the types of crimes in Newburgh and the department’s manpower, they are constantly utilizing assistance from other departments and have already seen results from the use of the HVAC center.
“Back a couple of months ago, in its infancy, we were already able to solve a bank robbery with the assistance of the center in a very expeditious manner, so it’s already proven itself to be effective,” said Solomon referencing the TD Bank robbery that occurred in the city.
City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Thomas Pape added that as recently as this week, the center aided his department in a homicide investigation.
Law enforcement officials agree that the center is proving to be an invaluable asset, in all areas of the justice system, from the beat to the courtroom. They thanked the state for its investment and assured the public it will make law enforcement much more streamlined and successful across the region, as well as for greater New York.
