South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and the South Bend Police Department announced Thursday their participation in the White House-led Police Data Initiative. South Bend joins 128 other agencies across the country in taking concrete steps to share data with their communities regarding policing practices.
The Police Data Initiative (PDI) supports efforts of local law enforcement agencies to leverage data, increase transparency and accountability, and build trust with their communities. The PDI grew from the recommendationsExternal Link of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
"Joining the Police Data Initiative gives us new tools to make police data transparent for the public," Mayor Buttigieg said. "It has never been more important to use the power of information to build accountability and trust around law enforcement in the community."
The South Bend Police Department will begin to release datasets related to use of force, citizen complaints, and training on the City of South Bend's Open Data PortalExternal Link over the next several months.
“The Police Data Initiative was launched last year to support the growing community of law enforcement agencies committed to publishing data online in order to increase transparency and accountability and to help facilitate authentic conversations within their community,” Chief Data Scientist at the White House Office of Science and Technology DJ Patil said. “Across the country, over 120 jurisdictions have now signed onto the Police Data Initiative, reaching more than 44 million individuals.”
For more information on the Police Data Initiative, please see the White House's fact sheetExternal Link and blog postExternal Link on the topic.
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