Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Takes to Fighting Crime in NYC

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has joined the New York Police Dapartment (NYPD). Sort of. Wednesday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, NYPD chief Ray Kelly and representatives from Microsoft unveiled a new crime-fighting system that is designed to help police officers and detectives “connect the dots,” as the chief put it.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)The Domain Awareness System (DAS) was designed by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in conjunction with the NYPD – created “by police officers for police officers,” the joint statement said – to provide real-time connections among 3,000 closed-circuit cameras in and around Manhattan, 2,600 radiation detectors and 100 license-plate readers throughout the city. The system is designed to support crime prevention and counterterrorism by providing officers with data pulled together from crime records, 911 calls, videos and license-plate registrations.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) designed the system to provide alerts in real time, display pertinent data on city maps for easy reference, and can program cameras to sound an alarm if they catch unusual activity like an unattended package or an unattended car in front of a building.

This takes detective work to a new level, as the DAS would help officers cut down on investigative time by telling cops exactly where something is happening, immediately provide any information about the scene (license plate number of a vehicle, image of an individual at the scene, 911 recordings consistent with the area, etc.) that can help bring a suspicious or dangerous situation under control much more quickly. Should this program work as intended in New York, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) likely would offer the systerm to other cities and towns across the country.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) worked closely for several years with the intelligence division and counter-terrorism bureau of the NYPD to develop the DAS, and the company made an arrangement to pay the NYPD 30 percent of revenue on all sales of the system to other municipalities.