The Impact of Data-Driven Policing

Law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to use critical data to help enhance operations and strengthen community relations.   

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program estimates that more than 10 million arrests were made nationwide in 2019. Nearly 500,000 arrests were for violent crimes, and over 1 million for property crimes. 

Law enforcement agencies have the overwhelming task of working every day to keep communities safe, which also includes handling a mass amount of data for each arrest or interaction they have with a citizen. 

Data-driven policing improves the process of serving your community by using information from crime reports to make better-informed decisions.  

Although improvement is the goal, it is not always a simple task. Misinterpretation of crime data can lead to issues with how your officers interact with individuals in the community.  

Your community depends on law enforcement leaders to properly use data in a way that helps guide improved public safety operations. 

What Is Data-Driven Policing?  

Data-driven policing is the process of analyzing information collected by officers including arrests and police interaction and using this data to map out and locate potential hot spots for crime.  

Technology such as CentralSquare’s CrimeView® Analytics solution empowers agencies to uncover hidden patterns in their data. The system is designed to give you meaningful insights to support a data-driven culture that uses the information to save lives and create better outcomes. 

The San Diego Harbor Police have enhanced their tactics to keep their community safe through intelligence-led policing.  Their agency utilizes our CrimeView system to identify and understand problem areas in the community.  

Watch now to see how the San Diego Harbor Police utilizes CrimeView Analytics.  

They have also used the system to replace manual processes of using paperwork to capture and store data. This has also developed their ability to train new officers and keep their team informed. 

The Impact of Data-Driven Policing on Community Relations  

This approach to policing allows law enforcement to be proactive in decreasing crime and improving public safety. However, biases can come from using data to predict where crime might occur.  

In most cases, data-driven policing relies on historical data. Depending on how your agency uses data, and the practices of individual officers, information can be skewed and create a misrepresented picture of what is truly taking place in a community.  

If the data shows that a particular neighborhood has seen a high number of arrests and police interactions, that community could be subject to over-policing.  

This can lead to a specific population being targeted, damaging the relationship and trust between law enforcement and citizens. 

Steps Your Agency Can Take to Improve 

There are at least 23 states that require law enforcement agencies to collect and report data when an officer stops a citizen. This data includes information on the citizen’s demographics to ensure officers are not showing a pattern of stopping minority groups. 

The Racial and Identify Profile Act (RIPA) in California was formed to eliminate discriminatory practices and improve law enforcement and community relations. 

Although laws exist, your agency has the power to take certain steps to address and improve practices. 

Building a culture of awareness and accountability is crucial to addressing issues of bias. If there is an issue within your agency, take the step to acknowledge it, make your team aware and promote a plan for change.  

Include community groups in your process to develop the trust of your citizens. Open forums, discussions and surveys allow you to receive feedback and hear the perspective and experiences of the people you serve. 

Invest in technology that is built to help you make better decisions and improve protocols. It is not enough to be able to collect data. The analytics should provide insight to help your agency operate more efficiently and better serve your community.  

Want to Learn More? 

Watch our Smarter Policing Webinar as our team discusses best practices for data-driven policing and bias profiling with police chiefs currently making a difference in their agency and community.