In the wake of a scathing report from the U.S. Department of Justice that was initiated after the Baltimore Uprising, improving the Baltimore Police Department’s relationship with the community is a big necessity for reform. It’s also such a big topic that it’s tough to know where to begin.
For civic hackers and others interested in using tech to improve communities, the police are providing one entry point this weekend as Baltimore Innovation Week gets rolling.
On Saturday, Sept. 24, BPD is providing access to the beta of the Baltimore version of Project Comport. It’s a Code for America–created effort to open up more data. Police say a section of their new website will be dedicated “solely to transparency,” and include several datasets.
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“At BPD, we have come to recognize that transparency is not just putting out data, but rather providing data that is useful to the community,” the department said in an announcement.
At a session from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Waverly Branch, BPD is looking for feedback on what data to release, and the tool itself. Police officers and city technical staff will be on hand.
In one recent example of new data opening up, City Councilman Brandon Scott pushed to release 911 call data. Apparently it’s been going over well:
When your legislative idea becomes the top dataset in open #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/sEy4z8EET4
— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) September 9, 2016
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