Stop and Contact Data – SmartForce®’s Blog

Idaho Springs PD Simplifies Compliance and Elevates Policing with CitizenContact

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Nestled in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Idaho Springs is a historic mining town of about 1,700 residents, drawing tourists for its scenic beauty and proximity to Denver. The Idaho Springs Police Department (ISPD) serves this tight-knit community, balancing public safety with limited resources. To meet modern policing demands, ISPD sought efficient solutions for stop data compliance and community engagement, leading to their adoption of CitizenContact.

For the Idaho Springs Police Department (ISPD), complying with Colorado’s SB 20-217 stop data mandates was a persistent challenge. The agency struggled to collect stop data effectively, missing opportunities to gain valuable policing insights. Enter CitizenContact®, a game-changing solution that streamlined compliance, empowered officers, and delivered actionable analytics. Here’s how ISPD transformed stop data collection into a strategic asset, offering a model for agencies collecting and reporting stop and contact data.

The Compliance Challenge

Before CitizenContact, ISPD relied on its computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system to collect stop and contact data—a process fraught with issues. Submissions to Colorado’s state portal frequently triggered errors, requiring time-consuming fixes. Supervisors spent a lot of time data mining. Agencies navigating SB 20-217 may face similar challenges with stop data collection. While CAD systems are essential for dispatching, they weren’t designed for efficient stop and contact data reporting, leaving ISPD searching for a better solution.

CitizenContact’s Compliance Solution

CitizenContact transformed ISPD’s approach to compliance. Officers now log stop and contact data in just 60 seconds using their smartphones, even those less comfortable with technology. The intuitive interface eliminates complexity, ensuring accurate reporting without disrupting workflows. Monthly submissions to the state portal are seamless: a drag-and-drop process delivers zero errors, saving hours. “CitizenContact made compliance effortless,” says Sgt. Sonnenberg of ISPD. By simplifying data collection, CitizenContact frees the agency to focus on public safety efforts.

Beyond Compliance—Strategic Impact

CitizenContact’s value extends far beyond compliance, offering insights that enhance policing and leadership. Supervisors access real-time analytics to review officer performance, filter traffic stops by month, and monitor proactive policing efforts. These metrics help ISPD allocate resources effectively. ISPD also tracks high-visibility traffic enforcement initiatives with CitizenContact’s analytics, streamlining grant reporting to the state and monitoring performance. ISPD leverages CitizenContact’s analytics to deliver transparent council reports, fostering a shared understanding of policing and strengthening community trust. ISPD plans to leverage CitizenContact’s Tags feature to track automated license plate recognition (ALPR) hits, enabling evidence-based decisions to justify investments like additional cameras. Transparent data strengthens ISPD’s community relationships, aligning with modern policing priorities.

A Model for Agencies

CitizenContact transformed ISPD’s compliance burden into a strategic asset, delivering efficiency, insights, and trust. For agencies grappling with stop data mandates, ISPD’s success offers a clear path forward. By simplifying reporting, eliminating errors, and providing analytics, CitizenContact empowers departments to meet legislative requirements and elevate their impact. Ready to simplify compliance like ISPD? Contact SmartForce® for more information and a demo.

HB2724 and the Future of ALPR in Virginia: What Command Staff Need to Know

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

The Virginia General Assembly has passed legislation regarding the use and management of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) that is expected to bring significant changes for law enforcement agencies. As the bill awaits the Governor’s decision in early May, command staff should proactively review their internal systems, policies, and reporting workflows.

This legislation is more than just a compliance update; it represents a shift in the expectations surrounding data oversight, transparency, and public trust.

Five Critical Questions for Command Staff

As agencies prepare for what’s next, these are the questions leaders should be asking now:

How are we currently collecting and reporting stop data for the Virginia Community Policing Act?
Can we accurately identify and categorize ALPR-related stops across our agency?
Are ALPR interactions tied to specific zones, neighborhoods, or patrol areas?
Do we have visibility into which officers or units are generating ALPR contacts and why?
If asked to explain our ALPR usage to council members, oversight boards, or the public and can we do so confidently?

The answers to these questions will determine whether your agency leads with clarity or plays catch-up under scrutiny.

How CitizenContact Helps Agencies Operationalize ALPR Oversight

Agencies already using CitizenContact to comply with the Virginia Community Policing Act are well-positioned to handle the demands of HB2724. The platform was designed to ensure law enforcement can meet policy requirements without adding unnecessary complexity to field operations.

Here’s how CitizenContact helps answer the questions above:

Structured Stop Data Collection

CitizenContact is built for real-time data capture that aligns with Virginia’s Community Policing Act. Officers document stops using intuitive forms that feed directly into your analytics environment—removing guesswork and standardizing your agency’s compliance efforts.

Real-Time Stop Data Capture
Built for Virginia’s Community Policing Act
Streamlined Officer Input
Seamless Analytics Integration
Standardized Compliance—No Guesswork

ALPR-Specific Tagging

Customizable Tags allow command staff to categorize ALPR-related stops by type: Stolen Vehicle Hit, Investigative Alert, and more. These tags surface context in reporting, so you’re not just logging a stop but explaining why it happened.

Customizable ALPR Stop Tags
Categorize by Hit Type (e.g., Stolen Vehicle, Investigative Alert)
Add Context to Every Stop
Smarter Reporting, Stronger Oversight
Go Beyond Logging—Explain the Why

Contextual Mapping Through Areas

All ALPR interactions are automatically linked to Areas defined by the agency (beats, zones, hotspots, etc.). This enables analysts and supervisors to identify trends, compare outcomes across regions, and ensure proper resource deployment.

Automatic Geo-Linking to Agency-Defined Areas
Tag Interactions by Beat, Zone, or Hotspot
Spot Trends & Regional Patterns
Compare Outcomes Across Locations
Deploy Resources with Precision

Group-Based Visibility

The Groups feature lets you view ALPR stop activity by unit, squad, or initiative—supporting transparency across teams.

From Data to Clarity—Before the Scrutiny Arrives

Should HB2724 become law, the spotlight on ALPR data will intensify. Requests from the media, oversight boards, and the public will demand that your agency not only has the data but can explain it clearly.

CitizenContact gives you that structure, one that turns daily activity into insight.

Lead the Conversation—Don’t Just Respond to It

Whether HB2724 is signed into law or not, the momentum toward greater transparency is here to stay. Agencies that act now will be better positioned to demonstrate accountability and strategic foresight.

Want to see how CitizenContact helps agencies manage ALPR oversight and stop data compliance?

Schedule a demo.

Catch up on our Virginia related blogs:

The Virginia Community Policing Act: Challenges, Trends, and Recommendations for Success

Turning Challenges into Clarity: How CitizenContact Tackles Homelessness, Drug, and Mental Health Issues

Understanding the Virginia Community Policing Act and Data Reporting Requirements

Turning Challenges into Clarity: How CitizenContact Tackles Homelessness, Drug, and Mental Health Issues

Chris Arvayo
Head of Government Compliance Initiatives

Why Stop-and-Contact Data Matters Now More Than Ever

In 2024, 771,480 Americans were unhoused—a staggering 18.1% jump from the year before. Fentanyl fueled 70%-80% of opioid-related deaths, and states like Virginia and Colorado mandate detailed reporting on police contacts that can be used to address these crises. Collecting and reporting stop-and-contact data is essential for transparency, helping agencies understand interactions, ensure fairness, and meet legal requirements. We’re with you—how can your team rise to this? We added Tags to CitizenContact® last month, and early data shows “Unhoused” is already a significant tag—higher in the last 7 days than the 7 days before. This blog shows how to take tag usage to the next level while streamlining data collection and reporting.

Unveiling the Crisis: Homelessness, Drugs, and Mental Health in 2024

The numbers tell a tough story. Homelessness hit a record high in 2024, with 771,480 individuals counted—a single-year increase of 18.1% from 2023 (1). Of these, 36% lived unsheltered, up 14% since 2020, driven by a housing shortage that’s left 12.6 million households spending over half their income on rent (1) Families and seniors bear the brunt. Drug trends worsen the picture: synthetic opioids like fentanyl accounted for 70%-80% of opioid-involved deaths from 2021-2024 (2). Methamphetamine use is prevalent among some unhoused individuals, often employed as a survival tactic, though the majority of homeless people do not regularly use drugs (3).

Mental health deepens the challenge. Research shows 25-30% of unhoused individuals have serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, a trend over the last decade (4). These conditions often intertwine with substance use, making contacts complex.

States like Virginia and Colorado have implemented laws to collect and report stop-and-contact data, focusing on transparency in police interactions. Virginia’s Community Policing Act requires data on all motor vehicle, pedestrian, and investigatory stops, while Colorado’s SB20-217 mandates reporting on law enforcement-initiated interactions—both covering a significant amount of police contacts. These laws emphasize demographics, stop reasons, and outcomes, making stop-and-contact data collection and reporting critical. CitizenContact not only meets these legislative requirements but goes further—adding data points like mental health, drug, and alcohol impairment, alongside features like Tags, Areas, and Groups. This enriched data lets agencies gain deeper insights into issues like homelessness and mental health, especially when paired with the right context.

How CitizenContact Transforms Stop-and-Contact Data into Action

With Tags, officers categorize interactions instantly—think “Unhoused” or “Fentanyl”—while CitizenContact tracks mental health, alcohol, drug, and crisis details, feeding reporting and analytic dashboards with real-time insights on interventions and trends.The Areas feature uses geofencing to let agencies configure hotspots, patrol boundaries, encampment zones, and more, pinpointing clusters like downtown mental health calls to guide deployments. The Groups feature organizes teams—CIT, patrol, or specialty units—tracking performance and service connections in real time. More than tech, it’s a tool to master data, meet and exceed legislative mandates, and deliver actionable insights.

Strategic Steps to Maximize Data Effectiveness

Here are three steps to leverage CitizenContact—perfect for new adopters or users optimizing their setup:

Build Comprehensive Insights into At-Risk Communities

Configure the “Unhoused” tag to track interactions with unhoused individuals, ensuring stop-and-contact data includes key details. Enhance this with Tags like “Service Referral Provided” to log connections to social services, “Shelter Transport Provided” to track relocations to safe housing, and “Repeat Contact” to identify individuals with frequent interactions, signaling potential unmet needs. Pair these with the Areas feature to deploy mental health or outreach teams where they’re needed most, addressing root causes effectively.

Address Critical Behaviors with Targeted Precision

Set up a “Fentanyl” tag to flag suspected use or distribution, leveraging drug impairment data in the contact report. Add complementary Tags like “Trespassing” to monitor related activities in high-risk areas, often linked to drug use, and “Public Complaint” to capture community concerns about drug-related incidents. Combine these with the Areas feature to map drug zones or complaint hotspots, then send CIT, patrol, or proactive policing units to intervene, reducing risks and enhancing safety in the community.

Optimize Operations with Data-Driven Strategies

Use CitizenContact’s reporting and analytic dashboards to review tag trends, pulling insights from your stop-and-contact data. Seeing a surge in Unhoused contacts tagged with Repeat Contact or Mental Health Impairment? Shift patrols or partner with mental health services to break cycles of crisis. Have you noticed Fentanyl and Trespassing Tags clustering in specific areas? Adjust resource allocation to address underlying issues. This mirrors the SARA model (Scan, Analyze, Respond, Assess), tailored to your data.

These steps turn raw data into real results—whether you’re starting fresh or refining your approach.

Unlock Smarter Policing with CitizenContact Today

Stop-and-contact data requirements under state mandates in places like Virginia and Colorado won’t wait, nor will the pressing issues of homelessness, drug challenges, and mental health. With CitizenContact, your agency doesn’t have to play catch-up on meeting these mandates for collecting and reporting stop-and-contact data. New to the tool? Contact us today to see how Tags, Areas, and Groups—plus our added impairment tracking—can transform your operations, ensuring compliance while unlocking deeper insights. Already onboard? Optimize your tags and contact reports now to enhance policing strategies, building on the early success of the Unhoused tag. From challenges to clarity, CitizenContact is your partner in building safer, compliant communities—let’s make it happen.

Cited Works

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2024). 2024 AHAR: Part 1 – PIT estimates of homelessness in the U.S. HUD User. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2024-AHAR-Part-1.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, December 5). Detection of illegally manufactured fentanyls and carfentanil in drug overdose deaths — United States, 2021–2024. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73(48). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7348a2.htm
Assaf, R. D., Morris, M. D., Straus, E. R., Martinez, P., Philbin, M. M., & Kushel, M. (2025). Illicit substance use and treatment access among adults experiencing homelessness. JAMA. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.27922
Padgett, D. K. (2020). Homelessness, housing instability and mental health: Making the connections. BJPsych Bulletin, 44(5), 197–201. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.49

The Virginia Community Policing Act: Challenges, Trends, and Recommendations for Success

Chris Arvayo
Head of Government Compliance Initiatives

The Virginia Community Policing Act, enacted in 2020, is a significant initiative aimed at fostering trust and transparency between law enforcement agencies and the community. The Act mandates that agencies statewide collect and report traffic and investigative stop data, including demographics, reasons for stops, and their outcomes. By offering insights into policing practices and addressing disparities in demographic information, this initiative has the potential to enhance the relationship between law enforcement and the community [1].

Effectively interpreting and using stop data is essential for achieving the transparency and goals outlined in the Act. Drawing on years of practical experience in law enforcement and extensive engagement with research and policy developments in this area, I thoroughly examine the trends, challenges, and opportunities revealed by four years of reported data. This perspective aims to offer analysis grounded in operational realities and evidence-based practices [2].

Four years of data reported under the Act allow for analyzing trends and identifying challenges that impact law enforcement operations and public trust. Stop and contact data provides valuable insights. However, interpreting it requires a nuanced understanding of the factors influencing policing practices. These factors include resource limitations, technology gaps, regional variations in enforcement priorities, community demographics, and crime patterns [3].

Urban areas often face higher call volumes, greater population diversity, and concentrated policing activities. In contrast, rural regions may struggle with challenges due to limited personnel covering vast geographic areas. Suburban areas typically experience a mix of urban and rural dynamics, leading to policing strategies tailored to local needs.

Understanding these regional differences is essential for adequately interpreting data and drawing meaningful conclusions that reflect the unique circumstances of each community. Research on rural crime and justice highlights these distinctions by emphasizing how geographic isolation, cultural influences, and resource limitations shape law enforcement practices across different settings [5].

Background: Virginia’s Community Policing Act

The Virginia Community Policing Act, signed into law in 2020, aims to enhance transparency and accountability within law enforcement. Acknowledging the need for reliable data to address concerns about bias and fairness in policing, the Act requires law enforcement agencies across Virginia to report detailed information on all traffic and investigatory stops. These reports must include key data points such as the driver’s demographics, the reason for the stop, whether an officer conducted a search, and the outcome of the stop [1].

Additionally, the Act mandates the annual analysis and publication of this data to identify potential disparities in policing practices and to assess public complaints regarding excessive force. Under the legal framework established by the Act, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is responsible for compiling and analyzing the data. At the same time, individual law enforcement agencies are tasked with ensuring compliance in their reporting [2].

To promote transparency, the Act requires the police chief of each locality to post traffic stop data on a publicly accessible website. If no dedicated site is available, the chief must ensure that the data is accessible on another platform or provide clear instructions on how the public can obtain the data. This requirement underscores the Act’s commitment to making law enforcement practices more open and accessible to the community [3]. However, the implementation of the Act has faced significant challenges. Many smaller agencies, which comprise a large portion of Virginia’s law enforcement, struggle with limited staffing, resources, and technological infrastructure, hindering their ability to meet the requirements of the Act. For instance, 74% of local law enforcement agencies in Virginia have 50 or fewer sworn officers, with 36% employing 10 or fewer [4]. These resource limitations often result in incomplete or inconsistent data reporting.

The challenges faced by Virginia’s agencies reflect a broader issue in law enforcement across the nation. A guidebook released by the Center for Policing Equity and the Policing Project at NYU School of Law highlights that inadequate technical infrastructure is a key barrier to effective data collection and analysis for many agencies. It emphasizes that robust data systems are essential for collecting accurate and actionable stop data, which is critical for fostering transparency and equitable policing practices. Many agencies lack the resources to implement standardized systems, leading to disparities in the quality and consistency of reported data [6].

While the Act represents a significant step forward, understanding its impact necessitates carefully analyzing the data it generates. This includes identifying trends, interpreting disparities, and addressing the contextual factors influencing enforcement practices. As this blog will demonstrate, a deeper exploration of the data reveals both the potential and the complexity of using stop-and-contact data to promote fair and effective policing.

Trends in Virginia Stop Data

Over the past four years, traffic stop data collected under the Virginia Community Policing Act has revealed important trends that provide insight into law enforcement practices and their impact on communities. These trends highlight both areas of progress and ongoing challenges that require further context to address appropriately.

Volume of Traffic Stops

The total number of reported traffic stops in Virginia has varied yearly due to legislative changes, agency compliance levels, and public behavior. In 2023, over 949,000 traffic stops were reported statewide, representing a significant increase from previous years. This rise reflects improvements in reporting processes and expanded data collection efforts by law enforcement agencies [4].

Demographic Disparities

An analysis of the data consistently shows disparities in the racial and ethnic composition of individuals subjected to traffic stops. For example:

Black Drivers: In 2023, Black drivers accounted for a disproportionately higher percentage of traffic stops compared to their representation in the driving-age population [3].
Hispanic Drivers: Certain jurisdictions also reported overrepresentation of Hispanic drivers in traffic stop data [4].

These findings raise important questions about the contextual factors influencing these disparities, including enforcement priorities, regional crime rates, and variations in driving patterns.

Geographic Variations

Traffic stop data reveals significant variations between urban, suburban, and rural areas. Urban jurisdictions typically report higher volumes of traffic stops due to greater population density and enforcement activity. In contrast, rural areas often show lower reporting levels, which may reflect resource limitations and smaller populations [2].

Outcomes of Traffic Stops

The outcomes of stops — including warnings, citations, and arrests — also vary by demographic group. For instance, Black and Hispanic drivers are more likely to face searches and arrests following traffic stops compared to White drivers. According to the report, this trend warrants further investigation into potential disparities in enforcement practices [3].

Challenges in Data Collection and Reporting

The data collection and reporting requirements of the Virginia Community Policing Act have exposed significant challenges for law enforcement agencies throughout the state. These issues are not exclusive to Virginia; they reflect broader systemic problems in law enforcement data management nationwide. Over the last four years, several key challenges have been identified:

Inconsistent Reporting

A persistent issue has been the inconsistency in data submissions. Many smaller agencies struggle to meet the Act’s requirements due to limited staffing, training, and technical infrastructure. Sometimes, data submissions have been incomplete or excluded from analysis due to missing key fields or formatting errors [4].

Resource Limitations

Most of Virginia’s law enforcement agencies are small, with 74% employing 50 or fewer sworn officers and 36% employing 10 or fewer. These smaller agencies often lack the necessary resources to implement effective data collection systems, train personnel, and ensure compliance with reporting requirements [4].

Technological Gaps

The absence of standardized, statewide electronic data collection systems has forced many agencies to rely on manual processes, which can lead to errors and inefficiencies. This technological gap exacerbates the challenges of maintaining high-quality data and complicates practical efforts to analyze trends or disparities [3].

Balancing Transparency and Administrative Burdens

The requirement to publicly post traffic stop data creates additional administrative burdens for agencies, especially smaller ones. Ensuring that the data is presented in a way that is accessible and meaningful to the public demands resources that many agencies may not possess [3].

Actionable Recommendations

Addressing the challenges in collecting and reporting traffic stop data under the Virginia Community Policing Act requires a comprehensive approach. The following actionable recommendations aim to improve data accuracy, streamline reporting processes, and enhance public trust.

Implement an Agile and Standardized Data System

To tackle the complexities of data collection and ensure adaptability to legislative changes, agencies should invest in a scalable and flexible data system that supports evolving needs.

Validation and Accuracy:

The system should feature tools that minimize errors during data entry, allow reports to be amended with a clear audit trail, and ensure data integrity through systematic error correction and regular audits [6].

Real-Time Access for Supervisors:

Front-line supervisors should have real-time access to stop data for actionable insights. This enables supervisors to:

Monitor officer activity to ensure alignment with agency objectives.
Provide timely feedback to officers regarding performance and adherence to procedures.
Discuss data trends with community stakeholders to address crime reduction and neighborhood safety concerns.
Insightful Analytics: Supervisors can leverage stop data to:
- Respond proactively to community concerns about specific crime patterns or neighborhood safety.
- Identify patterns of stops based on officer assignment and geographic area.
- Enhance community engagement efforts based on data insights.
- Allocate resources effectively to align with agency priorities and community needs.

Customization and Privacy Protection:

Agencies should be able to customize data collection, such as tagging stops in specific hotspots or enforcement areas, while ensuring the anonymization of sensitive information to protect individual privacy [7].

Integrate Training and Policy Updates on Data Use:

Agencies should integrate training programs with updated policies to ensure adequate stop data use while maintaining transparency and community trust.

Policy Updates:

Develop clear policies outlining how stop data will be used internally for operational decision-making and externally for public transparency.
Include guidelines that support community engagement initiatives using insights from the data [3].

Training Programs:

Train stakeholders, such as supervisors and analysts, to interpret and communicate data insights without overwhelming front-line officers.
Incorporate real-world scenarios to demonstrate how stop data can be effectively utilized in public engagements and internal decision-making

Capture and Leverage Geographic Location Data

Incorporating detailed geographic data enhances the understanding of policing patterns and supports strategic decision-making.

Strategic Insights:

Analyze stop data by patrol area, district, or hotspot to evaluate the effectiveness of enforcement strategies [8].
Use geographic trends to allocate resources efficiently and monitor the impact of policing initiatives on crime reduction.

Public Engagement:

Share geographic data with community stakeholders to enhance transparency and provide context for enforcement priorities.

Create Agency-Specific Public Dashboards

Dashboards tailored to an agency’s needs provide valuable transparency and community collaboration tools.

Customizable Features:

Include visualizations of geographic trends, demographic breakdowns, and outcomes of stops.
Provide explanatory notes to help the public interpret data in context and avoid misconceptions [9].

Agency Ownership:

Design dashboards to reflect local priorities, enabling agencies to demonstrate their unique efforts and achievements.

Encourage Ongoing Evaluation and Adjustments

Adopting an iterative approach to data collection ensures continuous improvement and adaptability.

Feedback Mechanisms:

Solicit input from community members and law enforcement personnel to refine data collection and reporting practices.

Data Reviews:

Regularly evaluate the data quality to identify improvement in data collection and align with public expectations.

Conclusion

The Virginia Community Policing Act marks a significant advancement in enhancing transparency and accountability within law enforcement. Over four years of implementation, the data collected under this Act has revealed important trends, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Although the process of gathering and reporting traffic stop data is complex, it offers a valuable basis for addressing public concerns regarding crime, fairness, and bias in policing.

Key findings from the data emphasize the need for ongoing attention to disparities, particularly in the impact of traffic stops on different racial and ethnic groups. Challenges such as inconsistent reporting, limited resources, and technological gaps highlight the necessity of investing in solutions that improve the quality and usability of the data. Agencies can tackle these challenges by adopting agile data systems, capturing geographic insights, and promoting transparency through tailored dashboards while fostering more substantial connections with their communities [3].

This blog provides an analytical overview of the data and challenges and actionable recommendations for enhancing data collection and reporting processes. When combined with thoughtful policy updates and continuous training, these steps can help agencies align with the Act’s fairness, transparency, and accountability objectives [6].

This journey requires collaboration among law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and community members. By leveraging the insights presented here, agencies can better understand their practices, reduce crime, address disparities, and continue building community trust. Every step forward signifies meaningful progress toward building stronger, safer communities where safety, transparency, and fairness are foundational to public safety.

Author: Chris Arvayo — Head of Government Compliance Initiatives @SmartForce®

Chris retired as a sergeant after 21 years of service with a major city police department. Over the past four years, he has specialized in law enforcement stop data collection, reporting, analysis, and ensuring compliance with legislative mandates. If you’d like to discuss insights or strategies related to this topic further, feel free to reach out to me at chris.arvayo@smartforcetech.com.

Cited Works:

Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. 2021 Report on Traffic Stop Data Collected Under the Virginia Community Policing Act. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2021/RD420/PDF
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. 2022 Report on Traffic Stop Data Collected Under the Virginia Community Policing Act. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2022/RD533/PDF
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. 2023 Report on Traffic Stop Data Collected Under the Virginia Community Policing Act. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2023/RD340/PDF
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. 2024 Report on Traffic Stop Data Collected Under the Virginia Community Policing Act. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2024/RD440/PDF
Weisheit, R. A., & Wells, L. E. Rural Crime and Justice: Implications for Theory and Research. https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/rural-crime-and-justice-implications-theory-and-research
Policing Equity. Guidebook on Stop Data Implementation. https://policingequity.org/images/pdfs-doc/COPS-Guidebook_Final_Release_Version_2-compressed.pdf
Project on Government Oversight. Best Practices for Law Enforcement Data Collection and Transparency. https://www.pogo.org/policy-letters/best-practices-for-law-enforcement-data-collection-and-transparency
COPS Office. Geographic Analysis Guide. https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter/content.ashx/cops-w0558-pub.pdf
Policing Project. It’s Time to Start Collecting Stop Data. https://www.policingproject.org/news-main/2019/9/27/its-time-to-start-collecting-stop-data-a-case-for-comprehensive-statewide-legislation

Revolutionize Your Agency’s Efficiency: Introducing Groups and Areas in CitizenContact v2.3.0

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

We’re thrilled to bring you exciting news! The upcoming release of CitizenContact v2.3.0 on August 15th marks a significant step in bolstering your agency’s efficiency and enriching your understanding of stop-and-contact data.

We’re introducing Groups and Areas – innovative features specifically tailored to meet the evolving needs of our valued customers.

With Groups, supervisors can now create specific officer groups for an enhanced layer of data analysis. Whether it’s tracking performance metrics or understanding interaction patterns, having a lens into specific assignments has never been easier.

Areas amplifies your geographical insights, allowing you to monitor and analyze contact reports based on distinct work areas. Whether it’s a district, a zone, or a patrol beat, you’ll gain valuable insights into your community interactions and be able to tailor your strategies to meet community needs effectively.

CitizenContact v2.3.0 is more than an upgrade. It’s a powerful tool designed to facilitate informed decision-making, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately enhance your agency’s commitment to 21st-century policing principles.

Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into these exciting new features as we approach the release date. Together, we’re transforming the future of law enforcement, one contact at a time.

Learn more about CitizenContact HERE and Request a free demo!

Understanding the Challenges: An In-Depth Look at Police Stop-and-Contact Data Collection

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Within the complex world of contemporary law enforcement, data has emerged as a crucial thread. Law enforcement agencies across the United States increasingly recognize the value of comprehensive, accurate data collection and reporting, particularly in police stop-and-contact incidents. But while the importance of such data is evident, the pathway to obtaining it is often fraught with challenges. In this first installment of our blog series “Bridging the Gap: Data-Driven Policing and Community Trust”, we explore the complexities of stop-and-contact data collection and present CitizenContact as an innovative solution to these challenges.

The Role of Stop-and-Contact Data in Policing

Data is an invaluable asset in today’s world. Its potential to impact our decisions, behaviors, and understandings is limitless, particularly in sectors as critical as law enforcement. With the rapid advancement of technology, police departments can now collect, store, and analyze vast amounts of data. Stop-and-contact data is among the most valuable datasets, which directly looks into everyday police-public interactions.

Police stop-and-contact data refers to information collected during any interaction between law enforcement officers and citizens, including traffic stops, pedestrian stops, and calls-for-service. The data typically includes details about the reason for the stop, the actions taken, the outcome, and the individuals’ perceived demographic characteristics.

This data holds the key to many transformative possibilities for policing. Firstly, it can reveal crucial patterns and trends. Do traffic stops disproportionately impact specific communities? Are there disparities in outcomes based on race or ethnicity? Answers to these questions can help law enforcement agencies identify potential areas of bias and rectify them proactively.

Furthermore, analyzing this data can also help with resource allocation and policy development. By understanding where and when most stops occur, police departments can make informed decisions about where to assign officers and at what times and even guide training and officer wellness programs.

However, the power of stop-and-contact data can only be unlocked by law enforcement agencies if collected accurately, completely, and effectively analyzed. This is where the challenges begin to surface. Collecting such granular data across various jurisdictions with unique policies and procedures is a monumental task.

Let’s delve deeper into these challenges, highlighted in a study by Pierson et al. (2020).

The Challenges in Stop-and-Contact Data Collection

Accurate and comprehensive stop-and-contact data collection is paramount, yet it’s complicated and often riddled with obstacles. These complexities are highlighted in the study, “A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States,” by Pierson et al. (2020). Their methodology was intricate, pulling data from multiple sources, including the Police–Public Contact Survey (PPCS), periodic reports on traffic stops from local and state agencies, and data gathered from open-source records requests. Pierson et al. collected data on approximately 221 million stops and utilized over 94 million as their primary dataset.

Pierson et al. paints a vivid picture — raw numbers of stops across different racial and ethnic groups, while significant, do not provide concrete evidence of racially disparate treatment alone. Researchers utilized a three-pronged approach to test for racial disparities.

Veil of Darkness Test: a method that compares daytime and nighttime stops to mitigate the effect of racial visibility, allows for an objective assessment of race’s role in stop decisions. However, its effectiveness is constrained by the assumption that officer behavior remains constant throughout the day and night, an assumption that may not always hold true.

Outcomes Test: A method that measures the post-stop outcomes helps us understand if disparate treatment exists after the stop. But this test is contingent upon the officer’s discretion and judgment, making it sensitive to the biases inherent in that process.

Hit Rate Test: An analysis of the rate at which contraband is found following a stop, provides a performance metric of police activity. While insightful, this test often overlooks the complexity of police decisions and can be influenced by many factors, such as different policing strategies in different neighborhoods.

While each bears inherent strengths and limitations, these tests work together to form a more complete picture. Their collective insights emphasize the crucial role of nuanced, comprehensive stop-and-contact data collection in understanding and addressing potential racial disparities in policing.

You can find further details on the study’s methods here and on the Stanford Open Policing Project website.

The research by Pierson et al. identified three core challenges in collecting and analyzing stop data:

The decentralized nature of policing in the United States: The independent operation of law enforcement across numerous U.S. jurisdictions leads to a substantial lack of data collection and reporting standardization. Due to this decentralization, the researchers encountered considerable obstacles in analyzing data from various sources. The distinct policies and procedures each agency uses for data collection resulted in disparities in the data’s types, formats, and thoroughness.

Lack of transparency from police departments: Some law enforcement agencies were reluctant to release their data, which hindered large-scale, cross-jurisdictional analyses of traffic stops. Despite leveraging the PPCS and open-source records requests, the team couldn’t access all the needed data.

Incomplete or inaccurate data: Encountering data that was either incomplete or contained inaccuracies complicated their analysis further. Such gaps, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies make drawing precise and reliable conclusions about police-public interactions challenging.

These challenges underline the complexities of stop-and-contact data collection and the necessity for a robust, standardized, and transparent approach. They emphasize the importance of ensuring data accuracy and completeness to yield actionable insights to facilitate improved policing practices and enhance community trust.

Key Recommendations from Pierson et al. Study

Pierson et al. (2020) exposed the challenges inherent in collecting stop-and-contact data and provided valuable recommendations to mitigate these issues and improve the accuracy and usefulness of this data. The following suggestions emerged from their extensive research:

Standardization of Data Collection Procedures: law enforcement agencies nationwide are encouraged to adopt uniform procedures for collecting data on traffic stops and other forms of police-public contacts. Such standardization ensures the ease of data collection, enhances accuracy, and offers a more comprehensive depiction of these interactions.

Accessibility of Data: A push for greater transparency necessitates that law enforcement agencies make data on traffic stops and other police-public contacts readily accessible to the public. Accessibility empowers researchers, policymakers, and community stakeholders to scrutinize the data, fostering the identification of discriminatory patterns and ensuring accountability.

Collection of More Demographic Data: To comprehensively understand the effects of policing on various communities, law enforcement agencies should collect an expanded range of demographic data on individuals involved in police stops. This added layer of detail can provide invaluable insights into the experiences of different racial and ethnic groups, spotlighting any areas of concern.

Data-Driven Policy Decisions: law enforcement agencies should leverage the insights from traffic stop data and other police-public contact data to inform their policy decisions. This data-driven approach will help ensure that policing practices are fair, equitable, and responsive to the needs and experiences of all community members.

These recommendations by Pierson et al. serve as a road map for how law enforcement agencies can improve their data collection, analysis, and transparency practices, thereby advancing modern policing principles. They underscore the pivotal role of comprehensive op-and-contact data in fostering equitable policing and community trust.

Introducing CitizenContact: A Comprehensive Solution

Here is where CitizenContact steps in. Born out of a deep understanding of these challenges, CitizenContact provides a comprehensive solution for stop-and-contact data collection, reporting, and analysis. Designed for law enforcement agencies of all sizes, CitizenContact simplifies the process of data collection and validation, streamlines reporting, and provides insightful analytics.

CitizenContact addresses the issues of data decentralization by offering a unified database for stop-and-contact data, enabling law enforcement agencies to maintain clean and accurate records. Our tool encourages transparency by making data collection and reporting a seamless process, making it easier for departments to share data when required.

In terms of data quality, CitizenContact’s intelligent contact report form and validation features ensure the collection of complete and accurate data, helping police departments shift from mere compliance in states required to collect stop-and-contact data to actionable insights, using data to guide operational decisions, resource allocation, and community engagement strategies.

In the face of the challenges outlined by Pierson et al., CitizenContact emerges as a powerful tool that facilitates data collection and analysis and contributes to the broader goals of 21st-century policing: building safer and more interconnected communities.

Subscribe to and stay tuned for our next blog, where we’ll delve deeper into the features of CitizenContact and how they address the challenges of stop-and-contact data collection and reporting.

Click here to learn more about CitizenContact.

Utilizing KPIs to Measure the Effectiveness of Stop-and-Contact Data Policies in Law Enforcement

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Law enforcement agencies continuously seek ways to improve their practices and strengthen trust with the community. One innovative approach is to apply the concept of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of stop-and-contact data policies. While KPIs are widely used in business to monitor performance, they have yet to be traditionally utilized in law enforcement. This blog will discuss how law enforcement agencies can leverage KPIs to evaluate their stop-and-contact policies and ultimately enhance their overall performance.

Understanding KPIs

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value used to evaluate how effectively an organization is achieving its key objectives. KPIs are often used in various industries, including marketing, finance, and operations, to help organizations identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. By adapting KPIs to law enforcement settings, agencies can effectively measure their performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize stop-and-contact policies.

Implementing KPIs in Law Enforcement

Below are ten KPIs that law enforcement agencies can use to assess the effectiveness of their stop-and-contact policies and identify areas for improvement:

Number of stops and contacts: Monitor the overall number of stops and contacts made by officers to assess the frequency and effectiveness of these interactions.

Demographic breakdown of stops and contacts: Analyze the demographic data of individuals stopped or contacted to identify potential disparities or biases in police practices.

Reasonable suspicion/probable cause accuracy: Measure the percentage of stops and contacts based on reasonable suspicion or probable cause and resulted in actionable outcomes (e.g., arrests, citations, or searches). This can help evaluate the accuracy of officers’ judgments in initiating stops and contacts.

Officer compliance rate: Track the percentage of stops and contacts conducted in accordance with department policy and guidelines, reflecting officer adherence to established protocols.

Use of force incidents during stops and contacts: Monitor the number and proportion of stops and contacts that involve the use of force to ensure that force is being used appropriately and within department guidelines.

De-escalation techniques and outcomes: Assess the frequency and effectiveness of de-escalation techniques used during stops and contacts, their impact on reducing conflict, and the need for force.

Community satisfaction and trust: Measure community satisfaction with police interactions and overall trust in the police department through surveys, feedback forums, and other engagement initiatives.

Officer training completion rates: Monitor the percentage of officers who have completed the required training on the stop-and-contact policy, as well as any additional training on legal and ethical principles, cultural competency, and effective communication skills.

Complaints and misconduct incidents: Track the number of complaints and misconduct incidents related to stops and contacts in these cases to gauge accountability and transparency within the department.

Collaborative partnerships: Measure the number of partnerships with external organizations, such as social service agencies and community groups, to assess the extent of collaboration in addressing the root causes of crime and developing holistic solutions.

These KPIs can provide valuable insights into various aspects of police performance, from officer adherence to policy guidelines to the impact of stops and contacts on community trust. By regularly monitoring and analyzing these indicators, law enforcement agencies can support the continuous refinement of their policies and ensure alignment with 21st-century policing principles.

Adopting KPIs in law enforcement settings represents a significant opportunity for agencies to enhance their stop-and-contact policies and strengthen community relations. By utilizing these performance indicators, police command staff can make data-driven decisions to improve practices, increase transparency, and foster trust with the public. As law enforcement agencies evolve and adapt to the changing landscape, incorporating KPIs into performance management will be essential in advancing 21st-century policing principles.

Implementing a Stop and Contact Policy Based on 21st-Century-Policing

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Strengthening Police-Community Relations Through Data-Driven Stop and Contact Practices

As law enforcement agencies strive to adapt to 21st-century policing principles, it’s important to develop and implement stop-and-contact policies that foster trust and transparency. By incorporating these principles and utilizing contact data effectively, police departments can improve their policing practices and strengthen police-community relationships. This blog post will outline the steps for implementing a stop-and-contact policy that includes modern policing values and leverages data collection for continuous improvement.

Establish Clear Guidelines for Stops and Contacts

Develop objective criteria and guidelines for initiating stops and contacts based on factors such as reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Avoid subjective factors like appearance or race to ensure impartial treatment for all community members. Clear guidelines also promote consistency and professionalism among officers.

Integrate 21st-Century Policing Principles

Incorporate key principles, such as community policing, procedural justice, and bias-free policing, into the stop-and-contact policy. The policy will align with modern expectations for effective law enforcement by emphasizing fairness, transparency, and community engagement.

Provide Comprehensive Agency Training

Provide officers with thorough training on the stop-and-contact policy, legal and ethical principles, cultural understanding, and effective communication skills. Well-trained officers are better equipped to conduct stops and contacts fairly and professionally, promoting greater public trust.

Implement Data Collection and Analysis

Invest in technology and software solutions to facilitate data collection and analysis on stops and contacts. Train officers on proper documentation practices to ensure accurate and comprehensive data. Regularly review and analyze the data to identify trends, disparities, and opportunities for improvement in policing practices. CitizenContact can help you implement stop-and-contact data collection, reporting, and analysis.

Engage the Community

Actively involve community members and stakeholders in developing and implementing the stop-and-contact policy. Solicit input, participate in community forums, and work with local organizations to address concerns and promote a shared understanding of the policy’s objectives and benefits.

Ensure Accountability and Transparency

Regularly review and update the stop and contact policy to maintain effectiveness and relevance. Evaluate officer compliance and address instances of misconduct promptly. Share information about the policy, including contact data, with the public and stakeholders to demonstrate commitment to transparency and accountability.

Collaborate with External Partners

Partner with social service agencies, mental health professionals, and other community organizations to address the root causes of crime and develop solutions. This collaborative approach supports the broader goals of 21st-century policing and promotes long-term crime reduction and community well-being.

Measure Performance and Outcomes:

Continuously evaluate the policy’s effectiveness by collecting and analyzing data on crime rates, community satisfaction, and officer performance. Use this information to refine and improve the policy and related strategies over time, ensuring that the police department remains responsive to community needs and expectations.

Implementing a stop-and-contact policy based on 21st-century policing principles is critical in promoting public trust and strengthening police-community relationships. By focusing on clear guidelines, comprehensive training, data-driven decision-making, community engagement, and accountability, law enforcement agencies can foster a fair and effective policing environment that benefits both officers and the community.

Click here to request a copy of an example stop-and-contact policy based on 21st-century policing principles.

How CitizenContact Empowers Law Enforcement Agencies to Make Informed Decisions

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

Harness the Power of Stop and Contact Data to Drive Strategic Decision-Making for Law Enforcement Executives

For Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Command Staff, making informed decisions about officer allocation, resource deployment, and policing strategies is crucial to the success of your department. One essential tool that can help you make data-driven decisions is using stop and contact data effectively. This blog will explore how CitizenContact can empower your law enforcement agency to make informed decisions that enhance community policing and improve public safety.

CitizenContact: A Game-Changer for Law Enforcement Decision-Making

CitizenContact is a powerful tool designed specifically for law enforcement executives like you. By harnessing the power of stop and contact data, CitizenContact provides insights that can help you make better-informed decisions about officer allocation, resource deployment, and policing strategies. Here’s how CitizenContact empowers law enforcement agencies to make informed decisions:

Identifying Hot Spots and Problem Locations: CitizenContact enables you to analyze stop and contact data to pinpoint areas with higher police-public interactions. Combined with crime data and calls for service, this information helps you allocate resources and officers more strategically, focusing on areas with the most significant needs.
Informing Problem-Oriented Policing: With CitizenContact, you can dive deeper into the reasons for stops, outcomes of interactions, and demographics of the individuals involved, gaining insights into the underlying problems contributing to crime and disorder. This information helps you develop problem-oriented policing strategies to address these issues.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Policing Strategies: CitizenContact allows you to monitor changes in the frequency, nature, and outcomes of police-public interactions, helping you assess the effectiveness of your department’s policing strategies. This information enables you to adjust strategies and resource allocation as needed.
Enhancing Community Engagement and Trust: Regularly collecting and analyzing stop and contact data with CitizenContact can improve transparency and accountability within your law enforcement agency. Sharing this information with the public and engaging in open dialogue about police-public interactions helps build trust and fosters productive partnerships with community members and organizations.
Addressing Disparities and Biases: CitizenContact helps you identify and address potential racial, ethnic, or other biases in your department’s interactions with the public. By analyzing this data and taking corrective actions, you can work to ensure that your policing practices are fair and equitable for all community members.
Influencing Training and Professional Development: CitizenContact enables you to identify areas where officers may require additional training or support. This information can inform the development of training programs and professional development opportunities, ultimately leading to more effective and responsive policing.

Unlock the Full Potential of Stop and Contact Data with CitizenContact

Integrating CitizenContact into your law enforcement agency’s decision-making processes allows you to leverage stop and contact data to make informed decisions that improve officer allocation, resource deployment, and policing strategies.

Don’t miss the opportunity to revolutionize your community policing efforts and enhance public safety. Click the link below to schedule a free demo and discover how CitizenContact can empower your law enforcement agency to make informed decisions while staying at the forefront of modern policing practices.

Request a demo of CitizenContact today!

CitizenContact v1.6

The SmartForce® Team
SmartForce Technologies Inc.

As the Colorado DCJ prepares to release final contact and use of force reporting data requirements, the team at CitizenContact by SmartForce® has been working on the latest release.

CitizenContact v1.6 has a couple of significant improvements that will save Officers time when reporting a contact. The notable improvements are:

Auto Complete List Choices

Auto complete allows the user to begin typing the list choice they are looking for (eg. Assault). Auto complete searches by content, so as the user starts to type “Assault”, CitizenContact will identify all choices in the list that match the spelling, starting at the first three letters the user starts typing. List options that allow multi-select will still be allowed using autocomplete in v1.6.

People Picker to choose officers involved in incidents and auto-population of Officer information

When adding an Officer to a use of force incident, start typing the name of the Officer. After the first 3 letters of the name are typed, a people picker will appear with the closest matches based on the first 3 letters that were typed. The People Picker only searches by name, not by email.

As the user/Officer continues to type the name of the officer being added to the incident, the name match in the People Picker will narrow the names to choose from.

Once the user picks the Officer from the People Picker, the name, POST number, race and ethnicity, gender, age, height, weight, years of service, and full or part-time employee indicators are auto-populated using the data from the Officer’s user profile in CitizenContact.

Thank you for everything you do to ensure the safety of your community.