Montgomery County outlines ARTIC real‑time intelligence center and voluntary MoCo Connect camera-sharing program

Montgomery County officials described a rebranded Real Time Intelligence Center — now called ARTIC — and a new community camera-sharing program that they say is already assisting officers and reducing response burdens.

Captain Nicholas Bicerno, director of Special Operations, told the council the county began a pilot in 2023 using under $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and initially staffed the center with contract analysts. “In the 1st year of operation, we handled 171 different calls for service,” he said; by Oct. 27, 2024 he said the center had supported 1,789 calls for service.

The county has adopted a technology called FUSUS (an Axon product) and launched “MoCo Connect,” a voluntary program that lets enterprise systems and qualifying community partners share camera streams to a single, map-based interface for analysts to access. Bicerno said the system can show nearby cameras for an incoming CAD event, allow secure uploads, and store video in a CJIS‑compliant evidence vault.

Why it matters: officials framed ARTIC and MoCo Connect as force multipliers that let limited patrol staffing reach incidents more efficiently. Bicerno and staff emphasized voluntariness and safeguards: registrations are optional, most residential products (e.g., Ring, Arlo, Nest) cannot stream live into MoCo Connect but can be registered so residents receive alerts asking them to upload footage; every keystroke in FUSUS is logged, enabling audits of inappropriate access.

Cost and funding: Bicerno gave examples of device and subscription tiers that he said vary by stream count (examples cited: modest annual fees in lower tiers up to $2,900, and enterprise devices up to $7,900), and said a nonprofit security‑grant program may cover device costs for some religious institutions and small organizations. He also noted a pending congressional directed‑spending earmark of roughly $2.1 million that, if approved, would fund a dedicated ARTIC facility and additional databases and grants for community partners.

Community outreach and integration: staff described outreach to chambers of commerce, business associations and faith groups and said about a dozen partners are actively onboarding. Council members asked how MoCo Connect relates to the state’s mView system; Bicerno said mView is free and state‑run but does not offer the same CAD integration and tactical features ARTIC needs. He said the county will continue conversations with MCPS, transit and other governmental partners about technical integration and appropriate safeguards.

What’s next: Farag (staff) told the council an updated sworn‑strength staffing report will arrive Dec. 2; Bicerno said county technology and vendor teams will explore adding dashboard fields and FAQ material to make flight‑and‑camera information clearer to the public.

The presentation stressed that participation is voluntary, that the county will continue public outreach, and that device distribution for some nonprofits depends on final grant approvals.