An Analysis of Washington State Law Enforcement Agencies’ Public Information Practices

• In Event: The Washington State Data Exchange for Public Safety

Abstract

One of the hallmarks of the WADEPS program is the belief that for data to reach its full value, the data must be contextualized for end users. To that end, the WADEPS program gathers data from various sources to help contextualize police interactions. Here, we focus on data collected related to the transparency of law enforcement organizations in Washington State, conceptualized as the extent to which they make data and information readily available to the public. It is essential to understand these trends to determine whether agency transparency and other agency outcomes are linked. To that end, we present a descriptive overview of the types of information Washington law enforcement organizations provide to the public via their websites and a more in-depth examination of the characteristics of agencies most likely to share this information.

Authors

• Kasi Chatburn, Washington State University

• Nayoung Ko, Washington State University

• Mary McMillin, Washington State University

• Riti Dwivedi, Washington State University

• Annabelle Jacobs, Washington State University