Cobb Reporter

Cobb County police are touting their Real-Time Crime Center as a game-changing technology that has helped them solve a number of crimes.

In a recent report by FOX 5 Atlanta, Cobb Police Maj. Billy Mitchell said the system, which allows investigators to see criminal activity as it is taking place, recently captured a man shooting at an apartment complex in Mableton. In the video, officers at the Cobb County Police headquarters were able to see the gunman at the complex and pass the details along to the responding officers.

"It dramatically reduces the time it takes us to get to certain information and get it into the hands of the investigators, so they can make a true impact on crime,” Mitchell told FOX 5 Atlanta.

With the new technology, investigators may easily relay information to officers on the scene and solve crimes faster by putting critical details into the hands of officers earlier in the investigation. 

The system brings in video from about 400 cameras across the county, including license plate readers, traffic cameras and business surveillance systems. If a call comes in, officers in the center can pull up any of the cameras to see what's going on and get a description of the suspect and the vehicle the suspect is driving.

According to the report, officers in the field can also watch the cameras from their phones or computers and see what is happening to get a better idea of what type of situation they are walking into.