By Ajay Sandhu
Editors note: This is the first of a two-part blog post examining the potential impact of data visibility on law enforcement.
The Counted, Fatal Force, and Mapping Police Violence websites each collect, store, and display data about people killed by police in the United States. These websites are just a few of the emerging platforms designed to address the significant gap in information left by US police organisations’ failure to create, maintain, and publically disclose data about “fatal force” incidents. When visiting any of the three websites mentioned above, visitors can access in-depth statistics, charts, graphs, and maps, which provide details about the number of fatal force incidents that have occurred, their locations, the identity of officers involved, and the demographics of victims. The availability of this information has solicited questions about if and how digital data can address persistent problems related to a lack of transparency and accountability in policing, and the lack of information about fatal force incidents:
- Can data enable new opportunities to scrutinize fatal force incidents?
- Can data provide an opportunity to discover trends associate with fatal force incidents?
- Can data analysis provide the police with the knowledge required to reduce fatal force incidents?
This two-part blog focuses on the last question by considering the opportunities and limitations of using digital data to monitor police work, document fatal force incidents, and create intervention programs designed to reduce fatal force incidents.
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