Baltimore launches public safety accountability dashboard

The City of Baltimore has launched its first Public Safety Accountability Dashboard.

The data tool aims to increase transparency and enable the public to better hold agencies accountable on their public safety efforts.

It includes a summary of crime statistics, a crime map, demographics, and data on arrests and outcomes, including individual case information. A ‘community violence intervention ecosystem’ map shows the location of Safe Streets sites, hospital- and school-based violence intervention programmes, victim services support providers, and more.

‘Data-driven’

“Evaluation and accountability are central pillars of Baltimore’s Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, because when it comes to public safety, progress can and should be measured. The Public Safety Accountability Dashboard provides a real-time look at the numbers that inform our data-driven efforts in ways that directly address Baltimore’s latest public safety trends,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott.

“This innovative tool is core to upholding my commitment to transparency and accessibility in ways that also bring city government into the 21st century. I look forward to the further partnership cultivated by the dashboard with Baltimoreans across the city to increase public safety for all.”

The dashboard was developed by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) working with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Baltimore’s Chief Data Officer, and the Mayor’s Office of Performance and Innovation.

MONSE hosted four virtual focus groups to help ensure the dashboard is as useable as possible for the public.

“Information is empowering, which is why I’m excited to see the launch of this Public Safety Accountability Dashboard,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates. “This level of transparency allows us as public servants to establish measurable goals and be held accountable for our work.”

The city said future iterations of the dashboard will aggregate additional public safety data points, including warrant information from the Office of the Sheriff, gun seizures, and intimate partner violence data, while also allowing residents to look at data specific to City Council and State Legislative Districts.

Violence reduction strategy

Mayor Scott launched the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan in July 2021. It aims to go beyond “policing, prosecutions and prisons” to take a holistic public safety approach that treats violence as a public health crisis and brings agencies and community organisations together.

In December, as part of this, Scott announced an expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy. The city said that since launching a pilot demonstration in January 2022, the Western District saw a 34 percent year-over-year decrease in non-fatal shootings and homicides.

The strategy focuses on direct engagement with individuals who are the most likely to be the victim or perpetrator of violence.