Case Study: How Rochester Built Trust Through Transparency and Community-Led Data
Situation
The relationship between law enforcement and communities depends on trust, communication, and accountability. In Rochester, New York, community leaders and the Rochester Police Department (RPD) recognized that building stronger relationships required more than conversation, it required a shared understanding of how policing decisions are made and how the department serves the community.
Following national conversations about policing and accountability, Rochester leaders began exploring new ways to strengthen collaboration between residents, community organizations, and law enforcement.
The result was a partnership between the Rochester Police Department, community leaders including the Urban League of Rochester, and Measures for Justice to create Commons for the Rochester Police Department. Commons is a free, public data platform designed to increase transparency and help the community better understand how RPD responds to calls for service and manages police operations.
Problem
Before Commons, community members and law enforcement often viewed police data through different lenses.
Residents wanted answers to important questions:
- How does RPD respond to calls for service?
- How are policing decisions made?
- Are resources being deployed effectively?
- How can the community hold the department accountable?
However, limited access to clear, accessible data made it difficult to have productive conversations.
The challenge was not simply a lack of information, it was a lack of shared understanding.
Different groups often interpreted common policing terms and metrics differently. For example:
- A “priority” call to police may not mean the same thing to a community member as it does to an officer.
- “Use of force” may mean any physical contact under police policy, while community members may interpret it as police misconduct.
- Without context, data points could lead to assumptions rather than meaningful dialogue.
Without a shared source of information, conversations about policing could become shaped by incomplete information, misunderstandings, or competing narratives.
Solution
Measures for Justice partnered with the Rochester Police Department and community stakeholders to create Commons for the Rochester Police Department, an independent, publicly accessible data platform that provides insight into how RPD operates.
The project was guided by collaboration between law enforcement and community leaders, including the Urban League of Rochester, to ensure the platform reflected both accountability needs and community priorities.
Commons provides residents with access to:
- Data about how RPD handles calls for service.
- Definitions and context for understanding policing terminology.
- Trends and comparisons over time.
- Transparent information that supports informed community conversations.
The platform was intentionally designed to help people find information, not tell them what to think about it.
Rather than generating conclusions, Commons gives residents, community organizations, and police leaders a shared foundation for discussion.
The first policy goal established through the partnership focuses on reducing response times to calls for service. By identifying a measurable objective, RPD and community leaders can track progress and evaluate whether strategies are working.
