Baldwin County unveils $650,000 AI crime center to help authorities | Here's how it works

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ga. — Baldwin County unveiled a $650,000 real-time crime center that uses artificial intelligence and advanced camera systems to track suspects and assist law enforcement agencies across the region.

The facility, which took two years to develop, combines an upgraded 911 call center with an intelligence unit equipped with AI-powered surveillance tools including Flock Safety license plate readers, facial recognition software and criminal records databases.

Evelyn Johnson, the center's director, said the technology addresses critical gaps in modern policing.

"Law enforcement is understaffed. Our agency is just like every other," Johnson said. "Also, technology these days is underutilized, in my opinion."

Johnson, who developed the center with Sheriff Bill Massee, said intelligence work has been a passion throughout her career.

"Knowing that my intelligence that we gather is going to help not only make our officers safer but our community safer is a huge thing for me," she said.

The center demonstrated its capabilities during Thursday's opening by tracking a vehicle in real time through Flock Safety cameras positioned throughout the county. Operators can search license plates, access jail and court records through a system called Flock Nova, and use Clearview AI to match faces against images from social media and other online sources.

Kyle Cullars, a local realtor and restaurant owner who has lived in the county for 54 years, said he hopes the technology will deter criminal activity.

"It might make people think twice about committing crimes in this area, and maybe if someone has that in their mind, they go elsewhere for it," Cullars said.

Massee emphasized that the upgraded 911 call center remains the facility's most critical component.

"When you dial 911, when you have emergencies, this is where you are sent by phone, and we got great employees," Massee said.

The new system allows dispatchers to pinpoint caller locations, track moving cell phones and receive emergency text messages.

The project was funded through a combination of county tax dollars, special purpose local option sales tax revenue and $40,000 from the state of Georgia. County officials said they plan to expand the center's technology and eventually operate the real-time monitoring unit 24 hours a day.