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California Launches Digital Platform to Collect Police Use-of-Force Data

The platform, called URSUS, will help generate the first comprehensive statewide data set of police use-of-force incidents in the nation, according to CalDOJ and the platform’s developer, technology nonprofit Bayes Impact. URSUS implements the requirements of Assembly Bill 71, legislation enacted in 2015 mandating California’s 800 police departments and other law enforcement entities to collect and report police 'use of force' data.

The California Department of Justice on Thursday announced an all-digital data collection platform that law enforcement agencies will use to report officer-involved shootings and other police “use of-force” incidents.

The platform, called URSUS (named after the bear on California’s state flag), will help generate the first comprehensive statewide data set of police use-of-force incidents in the nation, according to CalDOJ and the platform’s developer, technology nonprofit Bayes Impact.

URSUS implements the requirements of Assembly Bill 71, legislation enacted in 2015 mandating California’s 800 police departments and other law enforcement entities to collect and report police “use of force” data to CalDOJ. The data will be publicly accessible on OpenJustice, the state’s criminal justice data Web portal, beginning in early 2017.  On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 2524 by Assemblymember Jacqui V. Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) which requires CalDOJ to post criminal justice data online.
 
“As a country, we must engage in an honest, transparent, and data-driven conversation about police use of force,” said California Attorney General Kamala Harris. I am proud that California continues to lead the nation in the adoption of technology and data to improve our criminal justice system and keep our streets safe.”

URSUS was developed in less than eight months. CalDOJ’s Bureau of Crime Information and Analysis worked with Bayes Impact to develop the Web-based application and the first data standards for police use of force. The system was developed with philanthropic funding through Bayes Impact.

The system was developed in agile, is cloud-based and open source. By taking this approach, CalDOJ estimates it saved millions of dollars in development costs, and helped local law enforcement agencies avoid having to build their own data collection systems.

“With URSUS, we’re showing that simple and open Web technologies can enable accurate and cost-effective police data collection at a massive scale. We hope our approach will inspire other states and the country to act, and make critical police data, such as use of force, available to the public,” said Eric Liu, who co-founded Bayes Impact in 2014.

A public demonstration of URSUS is available at https://ursusdemo.doj.ca.gov. The application features automated error checking for users; dynamic screening questions; charts, tables and other analytical tools (see an example), current and past submissions; a user dashboard tab; bulk upload of incidents; an advanced security and user access controls.

When reporting in URSUS, law enforcement personnel will input information into dozens of data fields about the time and place of the incident, and the citizens and officers involved. Some of the information is quite specific. For instance, URSUS asks reporters to describe the type of force used and the location of that force, and if it resulted in injury. Age, race and gender are included in the data field.

URSUS is launching at a time when public scrutiny and criticism about use of force is perhaps at an all-time high in the U.S. Some observers say better, more complete and standardized data is needed nationwide, not just in California. The developers of URSUS say it's open source, so other states could use the system’s code for their own needs.

“The California Police Chiefs Association was an early supporter of AB 71, relating to use of force data, and has been collaborating with the Department of Justice ever since the bill was signed by the Governor last year,” said California Police Chiefs Association President Chief Ken Corney. “We believe it is a sound practice to gather and report use of force data and make this information available to the public.”

Matt Williams was Managing Editor of Techwire from June 2014 through May 2017.