A new data collection and analysis platform covering use of force incidents by law enforcement agencies in the State of Washington is in development. Once operational, the Washington State Data Exchange for Public Safety (WADEPS) online platform will serve as the central hub for collecting, analyzing, and sharing law enforcement interaction data with agencies and the public, and will include a suite of tools and resources for both agency-level and state-level analysis.
Established by Senate Bill 5259, signed into law as RCW 10.118, and authorized by the Office of the Attorney General (AGO), a contract to build and maintain the platform was awarded to a team led by Washington State University criminal justice professor David Makin in August 2023 following a Request for Proposal (RFP) process and assessment by the AGO.
The program’s first biannual progress report has been provided to the AGO, the legislature, and the governor, and is available to the public at hub.wsu.edu/wadeps.
“Over the course of our first year of work, we have laid a strong foundation for modernizing complex public safety data practices through the work of our data governance committee, integrating feedback from officers, researchers, and citizen advocates, and identifying common ground among the more than 300 agencies with general law enforcement authority operating within the state,” said Makin, executive director of the program.
During the next phase of development, WADEPS will be working with volunteers from law enforcement agencies around the state to beta test implementation and training modules, collaborating with regional dispatch centers and software vendors to leverage current data collection practices, and designing and building the online dashboards and resources. The public launch of the WADEPS platform is expected in early 2025.
“We look forward to continuing to work alongside law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and the Attorney General’s office to drive innovation, foster collaboration, and build trust in public safety data practices,” said Makin.