DataDriven

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Telling you about the latest in open data and data initiatives in the City of New Orleans.

November 30, 2016

There’s a lot of Police Data Available Online, and the NOPD Wants You To Know About it

by NOPD
Filed under: data, modernizing, NOPD, policing, transparency

The NOPD has published more police data online in the past six months than the department has ever made publicly available in its 220-year history. What type of data and how the department is using it to make critical decisions on training and deployment was the topic of a public hearing in federal court on Thursday (Nov. 17).

Under the direction of Mayor Mitch Landrieu, NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison has made it a priority to make criminal justice data available and easily accessible to the public. Since fall 2014, the NOPD has dramatically increased the amount of police data available online, including more detailed information on calls for service, stop and search data and metadata for Body Worn Camera and In-Car Cameras.

Last year, the NOPD became one of 21 police departments to participate in the White House Police Data Initiative that aims to better use data and technology in ways that will build community trust. The department’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Just last year, The Sunlight Foundation – a national, non-profit organization focused on government transparency and accountability – touted the NOPD as being “ahead of the curve” on open data. The organization called the amount of data the NOPD publishes online “uncommon” and said the department has “excelled in producing criminal justice data.

Combining the department’s work with the White House Police Data Initiative and the federal Consent Decree, the following datasets are now available on the NOPD website:

  • Calls for Service—All calls for service made to the NOPD from 2011 to present are available for review. This summer, the department added more fields to help individuals conduct deeper analysis of the data, including the initial call type and priority.
     
  • Stop and Search Data—Raw data collected anytime an individual is stopped and interviewed by an NOPD officer from 2010 to present is available for review. Annual reports and high-level interactive analysis is included.
     
  • Electronic Police Reports—All Police Reports filed by NOPD officers including incident and supplemental reports containing the item number, location, disposition, signal, charges, offender race, offender gender, offender age, victim age, victim gender, and victim race from 2010 to present.
     
  • Use of Force Data—This dataset, which is updated daily, includes use of force incidents reported in 2016 by the NOPD in accordance with departmental policy.
     
  • Metadata for Body Worn Cameras and In-car Cameras—Raw data on when and where footage was recorded, how long it was recorded and what item number it corresponds with from 2010 to present.
     
  • Misconduct Complaint Data—This dataset represents complaints of misconduct originated by a citizen either directly to NOPD or through the IPM or by an employee of the Police Department per NOPD Misconduct Complaint Intake and Investigation policy. This dataset includes reports of misconduct including initial reports that may be subject to change through the review process from 2016.
     
  • Public Reports—Comprehensive reports on major aspects of the federal consent decree on Bias-Free Policing, Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Community Engagement, Training, Crisis Intervention Team and the Public Integrity Bureau.

New data-driven approach to police management

On top of the internal police data, this year, the department also launched a new, holistic, data-driven approach to police management known as MAX, or Management Analysis for Xcellence. MAX replaced the department COMSTAT meetings which were mainly focused on information sharing regarding crime trends. The new program, which is available to the public online, takes that approach even further by focusing not only on crime, but on all other topics for which a police commander has responsibility.

The program itself is available to the public in real-time on NOPDNews.com. The data includes everything from crime reports to personnel information by police district. Senior NOPD leadership meets once a week to review the information. The MAX meeting enable the department to dive deep into the systemic issues of crime, management, community policing, and risk management to develop solutions aimed at the root of the issue.