Content presented by NAIOP Maryland
A coalition of city organizations is preparing to use Artificial Intelligence to improve public safety and quality of life in downtown Baltimore.
The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore – in collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore and other key partners — plans to pilot a Strategic Operations Center (SOC) this fall. Using real-time data from a network of cameras and AI-enabled technology by Motorola, the system will alert SOC operators when it detects activities that could be signs of criminal actions, medical emergencies, traffic problems and other quality of life issues.
The SOC initiative stemmed from a study, commissioned by the Downtown Partnership, of security downtown and ways to improve it.
“The software doesn’t tell us what to do. It doesn’t dictate any kind of deployment,” said Maria Martins-Evora, Chief Operating Officer of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. Rather, “it searches for certain behaviors, predetermined by SOC operators, and triggers staff at the command center to make an assessment on what type of services should be deployed for prevention and resolution of the behaviors it finds.”
Those behaviors could range from squeegee youths operating in unauthorized zones, to traffic problems created by an accident or malfunctioning light, certain crimes in progress, individuals experiencing medical emergencies, and homeless individuals preparing to set up an encampment.
Furthermore, the AI system “is self-learning and it will start to identify patterns,” Martins-Evora said.
For example, the system will be able to determine when groups of lingering people are likely not a concern, but simply a sign that an Orioles game is about to begin.
The SOC’s coalition of partners will also be able to provide varied, appropriate responses to situations, rather than always dispatching police.
Key partners include multiple law-enforcement agencies: Baltimore Police Department, UMB Police, Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, Maryland Capitol Police and the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Department of Security. The coalition also includes the Mayor’s Office of African American Male Engagement, multiple social services agencies, community-based organizations and local businesses to deliver a holistic approach to safety by including wrap-around services.
The SOC will be able to dispatch social workers, crisis intervention professionals, local security guards or whatever agency is most appropriate, Martins-Evora said. Ideally, the system will primarily prevent crime, rather than reacting to it, she said.
The pilot phase of the SOC will be operated from UMB’s campus and will cover the 106 blocks in the Downtown Partnership’s area of operations. The pilot, Martins-Evora said, will help refine the behaviors the system is programmed to seek out and refine the SOC’s operations to ensure that the most appropriate responders promptly address each situation, Martins-Evora added.
“Our key partner is University of Maryland, Baltimore because they were already planning to do something like this and planning to purchase the same cameras and the same software,” she said.
That partnership provides the SOC with expanded coverage on the west side. And the system which can interact with other security systems based on the same software, could expand further.
“It’s exciting that this initiative could serve as a model to other organizations and business improvement districts beyond downtown Baltimore,” Martins-Evora said. “As the pilot gets underway, we’re happy to share best practices and lessons learned to enhance and improve safety through the Baltimore Metropolitan Region and beyond.”
