Public Safety Data Analysis (AUS0009)

• Public Safety Data Analysis (August 1, 2020)

Commitment 4: Public Safety Data Analysis
To further the city’s Strategic Plan goals for Government That Works, and the UN Sustainability
Goal of Reduced Inequality, we commit to fostering transparency and civic participation by
increasing usefulness and usability of the police arrest data made available on Austin’s city
open data portal.

4.1 Current Problem:
The City of Austin is a government leader in offering easily accessible online police data at no
cost. Community members and others who utilize the data sets believe the information can be
even more meaningful and useful, resulting in better public safety problem solving and policy
decisions.

4.2 Main Objective:
This commitment strives to work with the community to put city statistics and data sets in an
improved format that better reflects their everyday usefulness, opportunities for improvement,
and additional necessary data.

4.3 Commitment Description:
The city’s most recent Annual Crime Data file, updated in September 2017, has over 3,500
views and over 3,800 downloads (http://bit.ly/2F19HMo). The data is fully coded and complete,
however the format is not necessarily meaningful to most people. For example, it is not
currently possible to discern the data’s narrative or easily understand the data legends.
The project will take data on the Austin Police Department website and make it meaningful for
everyday people in the community. Participants will co-create ways to analyze data and provide
interpretations in color coded, mapped formats that allow users to hover for additional data and
see community trends. The goal is to improve community’s quality of life, and inform discussions
with community and decision makers.

4.4 Anticipated Transformative Results:
● Open Government Partnership Values (2020):
○ Improve the public role in city public safety decision making through better data
(Open Government Partnership: Civic Participation)
○ Improve the public’s ability to organize around safety issues and express
themselves freely (Open Government Partnership: Civic Participation)
○ Increase information usefulness via online accessibility (Open Government
Partnership: Transparency)
● City Strategic Plan Metrics (2023):
○ Increase the percentage of datasets published in the Open Data portal that are
being utilized frequently (City Strategic Plan 2023: Government That Works
goal’s Transparency and Ethical Practices indicator category)
● United Nations Goals (2030):
○ Ensure equal opportunity and reduce outcome inequalities, including by
promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action (United Nations Goal 2030:
Reduce Inequalities)

4.5 Collaborators:
Civil Society partners:
● Lead: Grassroots Leadership, Contact: Chris Harris, Data Analyst & Campaigns
Coordinator
● Open Austin, Vickie O’Dell, Brigade Leader
● Good Mojo
● Neighborhood Associations
Government:
● Lead: City of Austin Equity Office, Contact: Kellee Coleman, Equity Process Consultant
● Austin Police Department
● Office of Police Oversight
● Computer Technology Management
● City of Austin Innovation Office

4.6 Exploration Questions:
Open questions that we may need to answer in order to reach our desired outcomes include:
● What patterns will we find when we analyze available data? What does it mean?
● How might we effectively use this data in conversations with community?
● How might the community better access the data?

4.7 Project Milestones: (see Appendix for phase descriptions)
4.7.1 Clarify Phase:
Expected deliverables:
● Review available data
● Identify additional necessary data sets
4.7.2 Framing Phase:
Expected deliverables:
● Analyze data and physical locations with community for assessing patterns, context, and
upstream issues
4.7.3 Conceive/Prototype/Test Phase:
Expected deliverables:
● Overlay data on community maps
4.7.4 Plan/Build Phase:
Expected deliverables:
● Create a website that takes accessibility into consideration around languages, mobile
friendly, and readability
● Ensure website includes a feedback loop