SPLC Action Fund: Police Data Would Make Louisiana Safer

The Louisiana Senate over the weekend passed House Bill 506, creating a task force to improve collection and reporting of data on basic law enforcement activities. 
 
The following statement is by Terry Landry Jr., policy counsel for the SPLC Action Fund, member of Louisianans for Prison Alternatives:
 
“Comprehensive data collection would give Louisiana law enforcement agencies a valuable resource that could reduce crime, save tax dollars and promote professional police work. When data is not collected, agencies operate without the key information they need to make informed decisions, and the public is left in the dark.
 
“It is time for Louisiana to require data collection from all law enforcement agencies. Data informs better policing and forges trust between law enforcement and the people they’re sworn to protect and serve. Better data will make Louisiana safer.”
  
The following statement is by Tim Lentz, retired police chief for the city of Covington, and a speaker for Law Enforcement Action Partnership:
 
“All police leaders should use evidence based policing practices. Without data, how can you accurately apply the proper resources? In today’s climate of transparency, collecting data on police activities will help show that overwhelmingly police activities are honest and sincere applications of the law. For the individuals that do abuse the system, this bill will provide a mechanism to identify them and either properly train or remove them."
 
The following statement is by Tim Hitt, former police officer for the city of Monroe, and a speaker for Law Enforcement Action Partnership:
 
“Police-community trust is essential to preventing and solving crime. When our departments fail to collect data to show that we are enforcing the law in a just manner, we are undermining this trust. We must track and publish traffic stop statistics to strengthen our relationship with the community.”