Inside Amarillo’s real time crime center and what makes it work

About this episode

The episode discusses the effectiveness of real time crime centers in modern policing with insights from Amarillo's crime center commander.

Real time crime centers are no longer a novelty — they are quickly becoming a core part of modern policing. But as agencies invest in cameras, drones, license plate readers and data platforms, a critical question remains: Are these centers actually delivering results, or just generating more data? In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks to Amarillo Regional Crime Center Commander Shane Chadwick about how success depends less on technology alone and more on how agencies integrate, share and use it. Chadwick’s approach in Amarillo started with a rare advantage — a clean slate. With no legacy systems to untangle, his team built an integrated tech stack aligned to real-world workflows, focused on supporting officers in the field. The result is a regional model where shared platforms, real time data access and high user adoption drive measurable outcomes. Instead of relying solely on traditional metrics like crime rates, Chadwick points to usage — tens of thousands of searches per month — and rapid case breakthroughs, including multi-state investigations solved in hours, as proof that the system is working. About our sponsor Peregrine transforms…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Dudley

Guest: Shane Chadwick

Topics covered

• real time crime centers
• modern policing
• technology integration
• data usage
• law enforcement
• crime prevention

Keywords

• real time crime center
• policing
• technology
• data integration
• law enforcement
• crime rates
• investigations

Sponsors

Peregrine

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Amarillo, Amarillo Regional Crime Center

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