Seattle Police Department already utilizes open data. Now, President Obama has announced the Police Data Initiative, based on recommendations from his Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
Seattle is one of 21 communities currently participating in the federal Police Data Initiative.
Photo credit: whitehouse.gov
The recommendations cover policy, oversight, technology, social media, community policing, crime reduction, training, education, and officer wellness and safety. There is also significant emphasis on the potential of data and technology to improve policing outcomes and foster community trust.
Through this effort, local police departments and other participants are responding first to Task Force recommendations within two streams of work: using open data to increase transparency, build community trust, and support innovation, plus better using technology, such as early warning systems, to identify problems, increase internal accountability, and decrease inappropriate uses of force.
Nationwide, all 21 police departments participating have committed to release a combined total of 101 data sets that have not been released to the public. The types of data include uses of force, police pedestrian and vehicle stops, officer involved shootings and more, helping the communities gain visibility into key information on police/citizen encounters.
For more information on the federal police data initiative, visit WhiteHouse.gov. If you want to see how Seattle Police Department currently utilizes open data, visit Seattle.gov.