How Glendale’s Real Time Crime Center Tracked a Purse Snatcher

Glendale’s Real Time Crime Center tracked a man who snatched an elderly woman’s purse at a grocery store, followed him through a nearby neighborhood with an aerial drone, and watched him drive backwards into a cul-de-sac where officers tackled him in a driveway. Officers made the arrest minutes after the theft.

The infrastructure that returned the elderly woman’s purse has run in Glendale since 2019, integrating more than 1,700 cameras, license plate readers, and a Drone First Responder fleet. Other Valley cities are copying the same playbook.

How the Chase Unfolded

Store surveillance captured the suspect following the victim into a grocery store, then snatching her purse from behind and running out. The Glendale Real Time Crime Center swung into action. Drone operators followed him as he drove into a nearby neighborhood. He was then seen trying to remove the rear license plate of his getaway car.

We were also able to give this woman some piece of mind and her stuff back.

That was the line from the Glendale Police Department after the arrest. The same network caught a jewelry store crew near Arrowhead Mall the year before, and recovered a bag with more than $1 million in stolen jewels, according to a 2023 report on the program.

Seconds later, officers pulled up in front of him. The suspect got back into the vehicle and drove backwards all the way into a cul-de-sac, ditched the car, and ran through multiple backyards while jumping fences. Officers finally caught up to him in a driveway with their guns drawn and tackled him to the ground.

A loaded handgun was found in the vehicle, and the victim’s belongings were recovered and returned. Police did not release the suspect’s name or age.

What the Real Time Crime Center Actually Is

The Real Time Crime Center, or RTCC, is a technology-driven police support hub that maps and integrates computer-aided dispatch, automated vehicle locators, license plate readers, and city-owned and authorized CCTV cameras. RTCC operators can be virtually on-scene before a call is dispatched. They provide first responders with critical information and situational awareness ahead of officer arrival.

The center has been in operation since 2019 and has integrated over 1,700 CCTV cameras. It is staffed with both sworn and civilian personnel, though it is not staffed 24/7. Chief Chris Briggs, in a 2023 interview, said panicked callers at the worst moment of their life give “the world is distorted” accounts. The RTCC is the system the department built to go straight to the source, in his words.

From 1,500 to 1,700 Cameras in Three Years

The growth has been quiet. In 2023, when the program was first shown to the press, the network was syncing about 1,500 live cameras, according to a 2023 feature on the RTCC’s launch.

Today the city says the network has integrated more than 1,700 CCTV cameras, drawing in footage from intersections and from private businesses like all 20 Circle K stores in Glendale through the voluntary City Watch Program. In a 2023 demonstration, Detective Tom Ward could click any camera icon on the operator’s screen for a live feed. Recorded footage can be pulled from anywhere from 72 hours to 45 days back. According to the 2023 report, the center was staffed with four full-time officers and civilians when not working an active incident, and the staffing was focused on helping detectives clear cases.

For the purse-snatching case, that integration paid off. Operators were able to read the suspect’s path from the grocery store to his car, follow him through the neighborhood, and direct officers to the cul-de-sac. Local outlets published the store surveillance, the drone footage, and the bodycam side by side. The arrest was also an early test of how the program scales when private cameras, city cameras, license plate readers, and a drone are all working the same call. In 2023, the system helped catch four gunmen in 30 minutes during a jewelry store heist near Arrowhead Mall, and the four robbers drew prison sentences of seven to more than 11 years.

The technology has been producing arrests and convictions in Glendale for years. The purse-snatching case is one of the first times the RTCC has been named in a widely circulated police story. The 1,700-camera network runs on every other call too, whether or not the case makes the news.

• Over 1,700 CCTV cameras integrated
• 1,500 live cameras at the program’s 2023 launch
• 20 Circle K stores in Glendale on the City Watch feed
• Camera retention between 72 hours and 45 days
• Four full-time officers and civilians staffing the RTCC (as of 2023)
• Four gunmen caught in 30 minutes in a 2023 jewelry heist near Arrowhead Mall
• More than $1 million in stolen jewels recovered in that heist
• Prison sentences of 7 to more than 11 years for those robbers

Drones in the Air, Foot Pedals in the RTCC

The drone that followed the purse snatcher was part of the Drone First Responder, or DFR, program, which officially launched on March 31, 2025, and is detailed on the police drone program’s official page. The program allows RTCC operators like Officer Ryan Enos to fly a drone from a console inside the crime center, using foot pedals, microphones, and a handheld controller to keep both hands on the sticks while staying in voice contact with officers. Drones fly within a two-mile radius, averaging about 90 seconds to arrive on scene. The department is building out seven more launch pads on fire station rooftops to cover the city. On the program’s first day, a drone tracked a man leaving a scene on a bicycle within minutes.

“Our desks are set up similar to a dispatch console,” Enos said during the 2025 launch coverage, “and we were able to have foot pedals and microphones built in for us.” The pilot keeps both hands on the controller while a foot pedal switches to the radio channel. The drone live-streams to the RTCC, so the same operators who were watching the store cameras were watching the drone camera at the same time.

Glendale police do not have a helicopter. The drone fleet has effectively replaced the role of a rotor unit, and it is cheaper and faster to launch. Drones can be deployed to 911 calls, crimes in progress, fires, traffic accidents, and other public safety calls. The department is also using them for criminal investigations to reconstruct crime scenes.

What an RTCC operator can pull up in real time, per the program’s own description and the 2023 launch report:

• License plate reader hits from fixed and mobile LPR cameras
• Live CCTV feeds from city-owned intersections
• City Watch Program feeds from private businesses registered with the RTCC
• Drone First Responder live streams from rooftop launch pads
• Computer-aided dispatch and automated vehicle locator data

Other Valley Cities Are Copying the Playbook

Glendale was the first agency in Arizona to launch a Real Time Crime Center, opening in 2019. Since then, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tempe police have followed suit, according to the 2023 report. Glendale was also the first agency in the state to launch a UAS drone program, according to the vendor’s published case study on Glendale.

The same vendor platform, CommandCentral Aware, ties together CAD, records, LPR, analytics, and radio for the agency. The purse-snatching arrest reads as a single case, but the playbook behind it is now regional. The same stack of intersection cameras, private business feeds, license plate readers, and drone launch pads is the template being rolled out across the Valley. Other cities are buying into the same vendor pitch that Glendale wrote.

What the Cameras See, and What the Public Doesn’t

Glendale’s published policy says the RTCC is not staffed 24/7. Camera feeds are monitored only as needed during an active scene or a criminal investigation, according to the city’s own FAQ. The intersection cameras, the police chief said in 2023, have been in place for 20 to 30 years.

The purse-snatching chase put both the cameras and the drones to work inside a single incident. Local outlets published the store surveillance, the drone footage, and the bodycam side by side. The same RTCC that returned an elderly woman’s purse is the RTCC that integrates private business cameras and dispatches drones to backyards, fences, and cul-de-sacs. The visible product is one arrest, and the system that produced it runs on every other call too.

The infrastructure is the part that does not appear in a case file. The same 1,700 cameras and drone fleet will be running on the next 911 call.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Glendale Real Time Crime Center?

The Real Time Crime Center is a technology-driven police support hub that has run since 2019. It integrates computer-aided dispatch, license plate readers, CCTV cameras, and live drone feeds so operators can brief officers before they reach a scene.

How many cameras does the RTCC connect to?

City data shows the network has pulled in more than 1,700 CCTV cameras, up from roughly 1,500 at the program’s 2023 launch. Private businesses can register their cameras through the voluntary City Watch Program.

Does the Glendale RTCC use drones?

Yes. The Drone First Responder program launched on March 31, 2025, and live-streams back to the RTCC. Drones fly within a two-mile radius, arriving on scene in about 90 seconds, and the department is adding seven rooftop launch pads on fire stations.

Is the RTCC monitored 24/7?

No. The RTCC is not staffed around the clock, per the city’s own published FAQ. Camera feeds are pulled up as needed during an active scene or a criminal investigation, rather than watched continuously, according to the police department’s website.

Are other Arizona cities building similar systems?

Yes. Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tempe police have followed Glendale’s lead since 2019. Glendale was also the first agency in the state to launch a UAS drone program, according to Motorola Solutions’ public case study.