The City of Atlanta’s Real Time Crime Center has been recognized by the National League of Cities as one of 2026’s most innovative municipal public safety programs, the city announced Wednesday.
The award specifically cited the center’s role during Atlanta’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup, where the RTCC coordinated information between Atlanta Police, MARTA police, and federal partners to monitor crowd movement across the city.
“This is well-deserved recognition for the team that works around the clock to keep Atlanta safe,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. “The Real Time Crime Center has been a game-changer for our public safety infrastructure.”
The RTCC, which opened in 2022, integrates data from license plate readers, gunshot detection sensors, security cameras, and 911 call systems into a single real-time dashboard available to officers and dispatchers. The center operates 24 hours a day.
During the World Cup, the center added dedicated monitoring stations for the BeltLine, Centennial Olympic Park, and the area around Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta Police reported no major public safety incidents during the tournament’s group stage.
Dickens said the city plans to expand the RTCC’s capabilities over the next year, including the addition of AI-assisted anomaly detection and integration with private-sector security camera networks.
