Henderson beefs up database in bid to increase transparency

The Henderson Police Department is participating in the Police Data Initiatives in what it bills as an effort to increase transparency.

Kathleen Richards, a spokeswoman for the city of Henderson, said the move is part of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing efforts to make information from law enforcement open to the public.

“This comes at a time that police departments are under more scrutiny,” she said. “The data looks at officer-involved shootings, use of force and recruitment demographics.”

Nationwide, 129 law enforcement agencies have signed on to the initiative. Henderson’s is the first in Nevada to do so, said Police Chief Patrick Moers.

People can pull data from all participating agencies through the data portal.

In addition to contributing to the national database, Henderson is making the data searchable on its website.

People now can search to see the number of recruits for the past few years compared with the number of those hired and see all use-of-force data for 2015 — including race of the person involved, race and age of the officer, date of the incident and reason for use of force.

For more information on the Police Data Initiatives, visit publicsafetydataportal.org. For more information on the city’s data, visit cityofhenderson.com/police/police-data-initiative.

To reach Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle, email mlyle@viewnews.com or call 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle.