Mountain View’s new transparency dashboard – which debuted in early October – is one of the ways the Mountain View Police Department is encouraging communication with the public.
From elder- and hate-related crime reporting to property crime data, the dashboard includes crime and arrest statistics, information related to internal investigations and live police service call logs and an interactive map of calls.
The dashboard was developed by the department’s crime analyst in collaboration with the Mountain View Information Technology Department, according to a press release shared last week. Information included on the dashboard will evolve as data is available and requested by the public.
“We are excited to introduce MVPD’s new transparency dashboard, a valuable tool designed to provide our community with clear access to the work we do to keep them safe,” said Police Chief Mike Canfield in a press release. “This launch represents a major step in maintaining trust and open communication with the community, offering up-to-date information that reinforces our commitment to accountability and ensures our actions remain visible and easily accessible to everyone we serve.”
The project came about after the department was informed by various groups about the need for easy-to-find information, especially that which is requested at a higher frequency.
“We heard from several community groups and advisory boards that they would like easier ways to obtain the more frequently requested information,” stated police Captain Scott Nelson in an email. “A transparency dashboard seemed to be an appropriate way to make this information easily accessible.”
Additionally, the crimes displayed vary depending on what data members of the public request.
“There are hundreds of potential crimes that could be put on the dashboard. However, we are displaying the most frequently requested crimes that come from the community,” he said. “The dashboard is designed to be dynamic and can change based on requests from the community and available data. The individual dashboard can graphically show which crimes have increased or decreased over time.”
The project was one of the responsibilities put onto the plates of different department officials in early 2024, Nelson said.
He described it as a “part time project worked on by these folks alongside their other responsibilities.”
To view the dashboard, visit tinyurl.com/MVPDcrimedashboard.
