NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Newport News Police Department is trying new ways to reduce, prevent, and solve crimes in its city.
“This time last year we had seven or eight homicides. Today, we have 15," said Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew.
Chief Drew explained the department is focused on increasing the police department's technology resources.
“There’s so much technology out there that can speed things up. We’re looking at bringing a fingerprint technician. We’re upgrading our AVIS system. We have a NIBIN system here that can collect shell casings and firearms that we test fire to tell if those casings have been recovered in any other particular firearm shooting," said Drew.
On Tuesday, the Newport News Police Department announced it's working with a new 911 notification system.
The RapidSOS system can help 911 operators mark a resident's exact location when calling from a cell phone.
“We can zoom in and it will show exactly what house they are at. So if the person can’t speak or can’t talk within a true emergency, we’re able to get their exact coordinates and location," said Newport News 911 manager Laura McCartney.
McCartney said residents can now allow police to see their medical information when they call.
“That’s voluntary for our citizens to be able to log on and upload their medical information and once they created their profile their medical information is now attached to their telephone number," said McCartney.
Newport News Assistant Chief of Investigations Brandon Creswell explained knowing the medical history can help first responders before they respond to an incident.
“It’s not disclosed to anyone else except for the dispatcher and the officers who see responding. And again, it’s just to give us a better understanding of what we’re getting ready for, what we’re en route to, and if we need to call additional resources to assist us," said Creswell.
McCartney said they have tested the system for a few months. She said it’s working.
“We had several citizens that were lost out in the park and they called 911 and our public safety specialist was able to pinpoint a location on a map and the rapid SOS portal, and we were able to dispatch park rangers to their exact location," McCartney said.
The Newport News Police Department has also added more security cameras in certain areas of the city and upgraded its license plate reader systems.
Chief Drew said the police department has also hired more staff, including two people to help in domestic violence incidents. In addition, his officers are working with paramedics and clinicians to assist them in mental health calls.
“We got the two domestic violence civilians we hired to come work in our department. We’re getting ready to start our CARES program with the clinicians and fire departments, paramedics. They’re going to respond to low priority calls dealing with mental illness and kind of for us to take a back seat too," said Drew.