The SpotCrime Transparency Ranking Continued: Police Data Initiative Cities
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