Community Justice Center Publishes Public Safety & Criminal Justice System Dashboard

Monday, April 15, 2024

The Community Justice Center, a collaborative between the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County has published a dashboard encompassing data from public safety agencies and the criminal justice system. The dashboard is a step toward transparency outcomes called for in several Reimagining Public Safety plans first passed by the County and City in 2021.

The dashboard can be accessed at http://tcgov.co/cjcdata and includes 30 different visualizations of several datasets. Visualizations include calls for service to the 911 dispatch center, law enforcement engagement by the Ithaca Police Department and Tompkins County Sheriff's Office, arrests and representation, and case outcomes and alternatives to incarceration. The dashboard also links to public data made available by the Ithaca Police Department, Tompkins County Sheriff's Office, and Tompkins County District Attorney.

Each visualization on the dashboard allows users to assess data over time and filter based on category and/or demographic data. Users can also adjust visualizations of the data and download datasets for further independent analysis. The dashboard's data originates from various databases. The collection of demographic data is not standardized across public safety agencies and may not show up consistently across visualizations.

Project Director of the Community Justice Center, Monalita Smiley remarked, "This dashboard gives the community access to comprehensive data on dispatched calls for service, arrests, and criminal case outcomes. One of the key points of Reimagining Public Safety is to examine disproportionate outcomes for people of color in policing and the criminal justice system, so I'm glad to report that several of the datasets in this dashboard can be broken down by demographics, including race. I invite the community to use this dashboard to explore outcomes and disparities, as well as to better understand 911 calls for service, policing, and case outcomes for individuals in our community."

Smiley added, "There's certainly been an increase in the amount of data available to the public thanks to the public input under Reimagining Public Safety. I'm glad to see that in addition to the CJC's dashboard, data is available from the Ithaca Police Department, Tompkins County Sheriff's Office, and District Attorney. The public should be aware of what data is publicly available and explore the data to better understand policing in Ithaca and Tompkins County."