Frequently Asked Questions

WADEPS stands for Washington State Data Exchange for Public Safety.

Our primary purpose is to serve as a data custodian. We will provide a cloud-based platform to effectively collect, analyze, and visualize data about police use-of-force interactions and to provide publicly available, easy-to-use visualizations of the data.

We are an interdisciplinary team of experts in technology development and criminal justice research, experienced statisticians and data analysts, and communications and training professionals.

The Washington State Date Exchange for Public Safety is managed by Washington State University in collaboration with Seattle University and supported by world-class, cloud-based technology.

We were selected as the data custodian through a competitive process managed by the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, including Request For Proposal and Request For Information stages. The state granted responsibility to the WADEPS team on August 15, 2023.

It’s required by state law. Senate Bill 5259, enacted in 2021 and signed into law as RCW 10.118 in 2022, is the primary legislative authority governing the statewide collection and distribution of use-of-force data.

The legislation requires specific data about the use-of-force interactions be collected and reported by all law enforcement agencies and all statewide data be complied in a centralized, publicly available database.

Key provisions of the bill:

• Law enforcement agencies must collect and report data specific to incidents where force is used by a sworn officer.
• Law enforcement agencies are responsible for regularly reporting their use-of-force data to the approved data custodian (WADEPS) and updating their data monthly.
• All reported data must be validated to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Make the collected data publicly available in a user-friendly format, allowing citizens to access and analyze the information.

A central hub for collecting, analyzing, and sharing law enforcement interaction data can help agencies and the public quickly identify trends and patterns in policing use-of-force and police interactions and to make more informed decisions, identify trends, and drive meaningful community outcomes.

Leveraging the power of data analytics and visualization tools can:

• Enhance public safety by identifying patterns and trends not immediately apparent through traditional methods.
• Optimize resource allocation by pinpointing areas where efforts have the greatest potential to improved outcomes.
• Improve community engagement and trust by providing stakeholders with actionable insights and visualizations on police interactions.
• Streamline operations by automating manual processes, reducing errors, and increasing efficiency.

Tbe WADEPS data dictionary encompasses the recommendations and was approved by the Data Governance Committee and the Office of the Attorney General in spring 2024.

The statute requires each law enforcement agency in the state to report incidents described in RCW 10.118.030 (1) (a) through (t), as well as noted in subsection (3) “any additional incidents and data required by the statewide use of force data program developed in section 3, chapter 326, Laws of 2021”. 

Including data on calls for service was recommended by the Advisory Group and approved by the Attorney General.  The approved recommendations constitute the statewide use of force data program, as noted in Senate Bill 5259 (2021) Section 3 (4).

As of July 1, 2024, we have identified 302 agencies with general law enforcement authority.

Yes and no. Most agencies collect basic information about calls for service and officer engagement, however, there are variations in methods and/or definitions and not all of the data is easily accessible by the public.

The WADEPS platform standardizes data collected on the use of force and makes it available so that agencies, policy makers, and engaged citizens can make useful analyses and comparisons.

Our goal is to make the required data collection process as seamless as possible for agencies and officers. Whenever possible, WADEPS will work with agencies to leverage their existing data collection processes in an effort to reduce duplicate efforts.

We are working with volunteers from multiple agencies to review automation plans and to serve as beta testers as we develop processes for collecting both CAD data and use-of-force data.

Agencies will be able to securely report use-of-force incident data using WADEPS forms, a WADEPS smartphone app, and/or automatically through a managed solution with their public safety software vendors.

Our goal is to automate as much of the data collection process as possible to reduce the administrative burden on officers and agencies and minimize duplication of processes already in place.

The policy or protocol for each agency will determine who is responsible for providing incident data to WADEPS.

For smaller agencies, WADEPS is being built to allow manual entry by the reporting officer. Once incident data is submitted to the WADEPS system, a report will be provided to the officer’s agency for validation. For agencies with vendor-managed, automated, or established internal processes, validated data would be sent to WADEPS after the agency completes its internal process. Currently, more than a dozen agencies are reviewing the general data use agreement, beta testing training modules for collecting use-of-force data, and contributing to processes for automated ingestion of computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data.

In general, use-of-force data and contextual incident data will be available monthly.

Yes, a key feature of the WADEPS dashboard will be its contextual analysis capability. Adding contextual data to the WADEPS platform will enable users to compare “apples to apples” as well as identify nuances between agencies—similar to comparing Red Delicious^® apples to Granny Smith apples, or McIntosh to Cosmic Crisp^®.

WADEPS is analyzing and coding agency policies and operational characteristics, local community characteristics and socioeconomic indicators, and plans to ingest computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) data for all calls for service in order to provide estimates for rates of force based on multiple factors.

For example, if a user compares responses from different agencies to incidents with similar characteristics, contextual data comparing agency policies and practices will provide an added layer of understanding.

WADEPS is not designed to answer questions perfectly. Rather, the information available through WADEPS will enables data discovery and encourages follow-up and research.

CAD stands for computer-aided dispatch and refers to both the process and the computer software that many public safety agencies use to effectively and efficiently respond to calls for service. CAD programs already create and log many incident-related data points required by the state law (RCW 10.118).

The WADEPS program is not seeking full access to any agency’s CAD system.  Only select data elements will be pushed to WADEPS. The purpose of using CAD data is to automate part of the required data collection process, making it easier and less burdensome for law enforcement officers and agencies. 

The purpose of the dashboard is to identify trends and outcomes, not individual people or incidents. Data displayed in the dashboard and available as downloads from the WADEPS website will only include the de-identified data. WADEPS is committed to balancing the need for accessible public safety data with the importance of protecting the individual privacy of both community members and officers.

Using recognized research-based protocols approved by the Washington State University Institutional Review Board, personally identifiable information such as the specific physical address of the incident, individual names, and the unique incident number will be anonymized in the database, on the public data dashboard, and in downloaded data sets. This protocol protects citizens and officers alike.

Our research-based approach has been approved by the Washington State University Institutional Review Board (IRB) and meets stringent standards for maintaining privacy within collected data.

WADEPS will only collect administrative records documenting the frequency and nature of police interactions with the public and when those interactions are associated with a reportable use of force. WADEPS will not collect personally identifiable information (PII) for those interacting with police.

All users—citizens, officers, agency administrators, and policymakers alike—will have access to the same data and will be able to select, view, compare, and download a variety of data related to law enforcement activities and the use of force at the local, regional, and state level.

The initial offering will feature a common dashboard for examining the use of force and police interactions with the public. Users will be able to select the type of data, the agencies to be included, the time frame, and the type of chart, graph, or other visualization.

Requests for additional dashboards will be considered as time and budget allows.

We anticipate a public launch in the first quarter of 2025.

WADEPS is collaborating with the Center for Interdisciplinary Statistics Education and Research (CISER) at Washington State University to provide statistical education for all users.