[Pittsburgh, PA]
The Police Data Accessibility Project (PDAP) has made its library of Data Sources available to search at pdap.io. Anyone with a question about their local police system can use this first-of-its-kind tool to find relevant public data about agencies across the United States.
The new search function helps people search the community-maintained database based on type of record and location. For example: use of force reports in California; traffic stops in Pennsylvania; calls for service across all agencies. Anyone can submit a new Data Source, or request help from the community. Examples of data in action are visible at https://pdap.io/data.
Our community includes everyone from policy advocates and journalists to government employees and amateur researchers, all asking questions and sharing their time or expertise. Answering questions always starts with a search for data, which is how most of us found PDAP. I am so grateful for the generosity of our volunteers and staff, who have dedicated thousands of hours of work to our shared vision of transparency. I can’t wait to see what kinds of data people find and request, so we can see what to track next.
— Josh Chamberlain, Executive Director at PDAP
PDAP’s database currently documents over 20,000 police agencies, courts, and jails. It catalogues over 1,700 Data Sources with metadata about the agency, format, and coverage of the source. They estimate that at least 100,000 Data Sources are already published on the internet and waiting to be catalogued, not including records requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
Work has already begun on a pipeline for “Data Source Identification”, which uses both human and automated processes to collect and classify potentially useful information. In addition, tools for automatically archiving Data Sources help preserve sources which may otherwise be short-lived.
To search PDAP’s database, navigate to pdap.io. To make a submission or request, navigate to the Data page.
PDAP was founded in 2020, and took shape as a nonprofit which produces open-source tools for using public data. It is based in Pittsburgh, where its data has been cited in pieces like this one, but it has members across the United States. PDAP receives financial and advisory support from The Heinz Endowments, Gabriel Weinberg, and individuals from our community.