Spokane County Sheriff’s Office delivers real-time intelligence to deputies in the field
With a Real Time Crime Center, mobile tools, and resilient connectivity provided by the
5 min read
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Real Time Crime Center delivers intelligence and situational awareness to field personnel and can receive livestream body-worn camera video from deputies.
- Mobile technology allows deputies to access cameras, operational systems, and investigative data directly from smartphones.
T-Priority andT-Satellite help support both routine policing and mission-critical incidents across Spokane County’s diverse terrain.
Building a modern policing model
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) serves more than 550,000 residents across nearly 1,800 square miles of Eastern Washington—an area that includes dense urban communities as well as remote wilderness. With approximately 275 sworn personnel covering such a large and diverse region, timely access to operational information is critical.
To meet these demands, SCSO has adopted a technology strategy centered on mobility, integration, and real-time information sharing. At the center of this approach is a Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) that provides full access to multiple data sources and camera feeds.
The goal is simple: Help ensure the information needed to make decisions during an incident is available not only in a command center, but also to deputies in the field.
From tragedy to transformation
The agency’s technology expansion gained urgency following a 2017 school shooting that highlighted the need for better real-time situational awareness.
Leaders began integrating camera feeds from schools and other facilities into a system that could provide deputies with immediate intelligence during emergencies.
That effort eventually evolved into a comprehensive Real Time Crime Center that opened in August 2024. Built with $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding and nearly $1 million in additional grants, the RTCC represents a significant advancement in how the agency gathers and shares operational information.
Intelligence in the field
SCSO’s technology philosophy centers on a straightforward principle: The same information available in the RTCC should also be accessible to deputies in the field.
To support that approach, the agency issued smartphones to all sworn personnel. Deputies can now:
- Access Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) information in real time.
- Query investigative records and databases.
- Monitor license plate reader alerts.
- View live camera feeds connected to the RTCC.
By enabling mobile access to critical information, deputies can maintain situational awareness regardless of their location.
Mission-critical connectivity
Reliable connectivity is essential to sustaining this mobile operational model. SCSO adopted
The agency uses
For areas beyond traditional cellular coverage, the agency is expanding the use of
SCSO has implemented Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) integrated with Motorola Solutions’ Critical Connect platform. This system enables encrypted communications and interoperability between smartphones and existing radio systems.
Real-time awareness during active incidents
Inside the RTCC, analysts monitor multiple data sources and provide intelligence support to deputies and investigators.
The system integrates numerous technologies, including:
- Helicopter and drone video feeds.
- Body-worn camera livestreams from deputies in the field.
- School and traffic camera networks.
- Private business cameras participating in the Spokane Sentinel program.
- License plate reader alerts.
- Video analytics and investigative systems.
During high-risk incidents, deputies can stream body-worn camera video directly to the RTCC. Analysts and dispatchers can monitor events as they unfold, run license plates proactively, and provide additional situational awareness without requiring deputies to request information over the radio.
Supporting in-field investigative efforts
The department uses an integrated investigative platform that allows deputies and investigators to search across multiple data sources simultaneously, including incident reports, records, evidence files, photographs, and surveillance video.
This capability helps investigators quickly identify connections that might otherwise remain hidden.
In one case, investigators were searching for a suspect known to have worn a distinctive shirt with a unique phrase. A search of surveillance footage identified a shoplifting incident involving the same shirt, ultimately helping investigators identify and arrest the suspect.
Capabilities such as mobile investigative searches, real-time video sharing, and integrated intelligence systems benefit from the expansive 5G network from
A model for modern policing
As public safety agencies face increasing operational demands, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office demonstrates how integrated technology can strengthen decision-making, improve officer safety, and enhance situational awareness.
By combining a Real Time Crime Center, mobile tools, and resilient connectivity—including priority access through
“We want to empower our frontline officers and supervisors to have that data readily available. They can pull it up on their cell phone in real time.”
Undersheriff Dave Ellis, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
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