SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

The White House Criminal Justice Statistics Interagency Working Group recently published a report “ Equity and Law Enforcement Data Collection, Use, and Transparency ” discussing the importance of robust data collection, analysis, and transparency in non-federal law enforcement agencies to improve trust and accountability in policing. The report highlights the need for complete, accurate, and reliable data on police activities nationwide as the United States currently has inconsistent data standards and significant gaps in data participation. The report found issues with the current status of collection, use, and transparency of policing data and discusses the challenges and variations in data collection and reporting across different law enforcement agencies. Additionally, it mentions the need for coordination and standardization within the federal data and statistical ecosystem, as well as the role of local law enforcement agencies in data collection and publishing. Without proper

One of the biggest drivers behind the current police reform demands in the US is police data . There are a myriad of police datasets available within a police department that paint a picture of the inner workings and behavior of its officers with the public. There are many different datasets circulating within a police agency. One of the least ‘sensitive’ data points (the lowest hanging fruit) is the data SpotCrime asks for from police agencies nationwide - Records Management System (RMS) data and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD/911) data. This data has been around and released to the media and public for centuries . It includes what is known as a ‘crime blotter’ - a list of what and where crime occurs throughout the day within a police jurisdiction and what where and when police respond to the public’s calls for service. At SpotCrime we believe in and encourage police departments to embrace open crime data. ‘Open’ meaning the data is available in machine readable format (ex. API

The Police Data Initiative was created under the White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing and ‘focuses on generating and implementing new data and technology innovations within key jurisdictions, civil society groups, and federal, state, and local agencies. PDI is centered on two key components: (1) using open data to build transparency and increase community trust, and (2) using data to enhance internal accountability through effective analysis.’ In other words, participating police agencies will start openly publishing datasets - ranging from incident data to arrests to police involved shootings. There is no set number of datasets police have to release in order to participate or a specific dataset that needs to be included. The easiest data sets to start with are the reports that are already getting created and used internally. Majority of the time, a police agency is already circulating a daily call log or incident log that is pulled from the RMS/CAD. This is the

Over these past couple of weeks the Task Force on 21st Century Policing published a final report , and a White House Police Data Initiative was announced! We’ve been excited to see the results of police transparency and open data discussions by the White house. The Task Force on 21st Century Policing Final Report outlines 6 Pillars along with 59 recommendations for improvements to law enforcement. The Pillars include:  1. Building Trust and Legitimacy 2. Policy and Oversight 3. Technology and Social Media 4. Community Policing and Crime Reduction 5. Officer Training and Education 6. Officer Safety and Wellness.  The report concluded that  ‘Trust between law enforcement agencies and the people they protect and serve is essential in a democracy. It is key to the stability of our communities, the integrity of our criminal justice system, and the safe and effective delivery of policing services.’  We couldn’t agree more! The White House Police Data Initiative was