A new website is making policing data easier to access for people in Tompkins County.
It is an offshoot of the Reimagining Policing Initiative. Several organizations like Ithaca Police, Tompkins County Sheriff's and Tompkins County 911 Center have data displayed all on one website accessible to the public.
Monalita Smiley, with the Community Justice Center in Ithaca, is the project director overseeing the online dashboard.
She says the community had input on the creation of the dashboard that launched in April. Smiley says the data is displayed in a way that can tell a clear story to those reading it. The data is broken down by agency and arrests, and includes a glossary of terms.
“Municipalities should look into it just for the simple fact that it empowers the community and shares with them they get to see another side of law enforcement that they may not have the opportunity to see,” said Smiley.
Smiley also says other police reimagining initiatives they are working on focus on officer wellness, recruitment and retention.
Rochester has a similar dashboard where the public can see a map of crimes in the community dating back to 2011.