Dallas Police Chief David Brown plans to put details of police involved shootings on the Web. (Dallas Morning News)
Well, this certainly is transparency. I’m surprised – and impressed – by Dallas Police Chief David Brown’s decision to put 12 years of officer-involved shootings on the Web.
It is bold. I’m sure some attorney advised against it, knowing that no show of vulnerability goes unpunished. If I were in the chief’s shoes, I don’t know that I would revisit history.
Still, this decision is yet another indication that Brown understands community policing and the all-important neighborhood-police relationship. His most impressive moment came after a shooting in 2012 nearly sparked a riot in Dixon Circle. Brown got involved in the most hands-on way possible, which helped to put a lid on a rumor mill that was on the verge of running amok with misinformation about how the shooting occurred.
Now, the website should pull back a bit more of the curtain. The Dallas department plans to post details about the shootings, including bar and line charts, details of the incidents, ethnic breakdowns, whether weapons were involved, case dispositions and details of the deadly force policy and investigative process. I’m guessing that this statistical exercise will reveal information/trends that the department might not have known before.
Interestingly enough, the Philadelphia Police Department has a similar website that also shows where the shootings occurred and statistics on gun crimes in that area. Brown opposed adding that last bit of information because he says it might give the impression that the department is making excuses. Again, I’m impressed. He’s trying to keep this clean and simple — and improve police credibility.
Stay tuned.