ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The newly-enhanced Monroe Crime Analysis Center, also known as M-CAC, first opened in 2008 and was billed as revolutionizing the way law enforcement fights crime in Monroe County. Today, it's one of only a few such centers of its kind in the United States and enhances the way police gather information.
Located on the third floor of Rochester's Public Safety Building, the center is a crime-fighting tool utilized by every law enforcement agency in Monroe County.
A $200,000 federal grant allowed the center to add a 5-by-17 foot crime wall. It allows analysts to begin gathering information before officers arrive at a crime scene.
"We're able to respond much sooner than before and not depend on other people to email us or call us on the phone to react to crimes," said Mark Gorthy, a supervising analyst with the Rochester Police Department. "We can observe as they occur and start gathering information and forwarding that to responding officers and investigators as they get on the scene."
The updated crime center has been online for about three weeks.
During the recent lockdown at Churchville-Chili Schools, analysts monitored cell towers and social media, which helped sheriff's investigators quickly arrest Joseph Lamica of Brighton.