Snohomish County 911 Communication Center used an Open Data Standard to make crime data public
Snohomish County, WA
Snohomish County emergency management used the SpotCrime Open Crime data Standard (SOCS) to streamline the release Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and automated Records Management Systems (RMS) data in an open and unrestricted format to the public.
Topics Covered
Cost
Initial: Zero Upfront Cost
Funding
Public Private Partnership
Project Status
Operational since 2014
Gov Champion
SNOCOM
Problem Addressed
SNOCOM, a regional emergency dispatch center for police, fire, and medical calls within Southwest Snohomish County, wanted to open up their crime data to the public but had no data standard or guidelines to follow.
Solutions Used
SNOCOM used the SOCS data standard to get started.
SOCS specifies data fields and data formats to use when releasing crime data openly to the public.
Once in place, SNOCOM helped other regional dispatch agencies use the data file to standardize data regionally and increase transparency.
Outcomes
1
Made crime data available for anyone to access, use, and share in a format that is easy to consume.
2
It took only 1 week to create the entire data file.
3
Open crime data standard ensures continuity of the data as well as standardization across jurisdictional lines.
Something Unique
SOCS is recognized by Johns Hopkins Innovation Hub and Center for Government Excellence!
Who Should Consider
Any city, county, or police agency that wants to provide open access to CAD and RMS data can use SOCS as a building block.
Last Updated
Oct 2nd, 2019More resources about this case study
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