LEON COUNTY, Fla. — Two months ago, the Leon County Sheriff's Office helped other law enforcement agencies with a manhunt in the woods.
One of the key resources with that search was the new Real Time Crime Center.
As Leon County works on its budget for the next fiscal year, LCSO is asking for more support with the center.
LCSO wants to add two full-time employees to the center, and it's hoping for more technology to help manage all the data coming in.
The Real Time Crime Center was created last year, and LCSO says it's time to start building it.
The center partners with several local agencies to help them respond to incidents faster and more accurately.
The sheriff's office says it's a valuable resource for all of its partners who need help fighting crime.
"They're on the side of the street with somebody. One of the analysts here can say, 'Hey, here's what that person's history is. This is what they've done in the past," said Deputy Dave Teems, Public Information Officer with LCSO. "These are the kinds of things that we've seen that they've done. Be careful. Here's what to look out for. That's what's important, and that's the reason why this place is so important to what we do."
Since the start of this year, the center has helped with nearly 400 investigations, recovering 10 stolen vehicles, and searched records of over 800 people and over 400 vehicles.
The sheriff's office has access to cameras at Leon County public schools and the county courthouse.
One goal is to expand into neighborhoods to help detect crime there.
