Woods et al. on Police Data Collection and Transparency

Jordan Blair Woods, Ashley Oddo, Devyn D. Arredondo, and Yan Idrissov (University of Arizona - James E. Rogers College of Law, Arizona State University (ASU), University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law and University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law) have posted The Need for a Comprehensive Police Data Collection and Transparency Law in Arizona (Arizona State Law Journal (forthcoming 2023)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

 

Policing data is vital to improving police accountability and transparency. In 2021, Arizona enacted a law requiring law enforcement agencies in the state to collect and report data on officer use of force. Although a step in the right direction, the law does not require Arizona law enforcement agencies to collect and report data on other vital aspects of policing, such as traffic and pedestrian stops or complaints of officer misconduct.

This Article underscores a need for Arizona to adopt a comprehensive police data collection and transparency law. It presents original research from a comprehensive survey that we conducted on publicly available policing data in over 120 law enforcement agencies in the state, including city, county, campus, airport, state, and tribal agencies. Our findings demonstrate significant gaps and inconsistencies in the types of policing data that are publicly available across law enforcement agencies in Arizona.

After exposing these gaps and inconsistencies through our original research, this Article evaluates the potential benefits and challenges of enacting a comprehensive police data collection and transparency law in Arizona. We argue that the potential benefits of enacting such a law far outweigh the possible challenges and drawbacks. We consider several areas of potential benefit, including improving police transparency, improving police accountability, greater consistency in available policing data, challenging common myths about policing, and supporting police reform. Finally, looking to other state laws and proposed model statutes from policing experts, this Article provides guidance for lawmakers on what a comprehensive police data collection and transparency law in Arizona should include. That analysis shows that adopting such a law in Arizona is not only desirable, but also feasible.