Measures for Justice Launches Nation’s First Revolutionary Data Tool for Police Data Transparency and Accountability in West Sacramento
ROCHESTER, NY (May 7, 2025) – In a groundbreaking step toward transparency and accountability, the West Sacramento Police Department (WSPD) has unveiled a powerful new tool that gives the public direct access to accurate, regularly updated criminal justice data.
Developed in partnership with a West Sacramento Community Advisory Board (CAB) and the national nonprofit Measures for Justice (MFJ), the data tool, known as Commons, empowers residents to track police performance measures, monitor progress on key community-driven goals, and help drive changes and progress in new and meaningful ways.
Commons offers the public a user-friendly, free dashboard that tracks a wide range of policing measures, including:
- Crime trends, calls for service, and use of force incidents
- Officer wellness and training
- Community engagement and trust-building efforts
- Fiscal responsibility and resource allocation
- Progress toward policy goals set collaboratively by the community and the police
With community leaders on the CAB, WSPD has recognized a key concern for the community: that officers expedite their response time to calls for help.
The new policy goal is to maintain or reduce the median time of 10.9 minutes for community-generated calls to arrival through March 2026, as commitment and staffing levels change.
“Having access to this data is a game-changer,” says Beverly Sandeen, a member of the Community Advisory Board (CAB). “It allows the community to engage in meaningful dialogue about policing in West Sacramento, ensuring that decisions are made with transparency and in direct collaboration with the people they affect most.”
The data is broken down by key demographics, offering valuable insights into how various communities are affected by law enforcement actions, fostering deeper understanding and meaningful dialogue.
“We are not afraid of the data. Moreover, we know that public access to accurate data is an imperative that fosters accountability and strengthens our community’s ability to collaborate on solutions that improve trust and fairness for all,” says Chief Robert Strange of the West Sacramento Police Department. “By partnering with the community and Measures for Justice, we can work together to create positive change and ensure a stronger, more thriving West Sacramento. Commons represents a significant step forward for police transparency. The fact that this was supported by our police department but driven by our community ensures that the information of greatest community interest is represented.”
West Sacramento is one of two Police Departments to be a part of a national network of agencies using Commons to drive positive change in the criminal justice system. Other jurisdictions, including Yolo County, CA, Rochester, NY, Monroe County, NY and several across the country, have already implemented similar tools, paving the way for a more accountable and transparent criminal justice system nationwide.
“Commons puts the power of data into the hands of communities,” says Amy Bach, CEO of Measures for Justice. “When the public, police, prosecutors, and courts all share the same data, it becomes the foundation for real change. We’re proud of the collaboration between the West Sacramento Police Department and members of the Community Advisory Board, and we look forward to the changes this data-driven approach will bring.”
By offering unprecedented access to local criminal justice data, Commons signals a new era of collaboration between law enforcement and the communities they serve. It’s a critical tool for increasing trust, accountability, and informed decision-making for reshaping the criminal justice system.
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About Measures for Justice
Measures for Justice is changing the future of criminal justice through tools that help communities and the institutions that serve them reshape how the system works. Since 2011, Measures for Justice has worked with communities, courts, prosecutors, and police to shine a light on what criminal justice looks like nationwide; collaborated to standardize and improve criminal justice data nationwide; and created tools, provided services, and led research to help create a criminal justice system that is fully transparent, accessible, and accountable.
