More Sunshine for New Orleans
The extra daylight this week, thanks to the early arrival of Daylight Saving Time, is perhaps a fitting start to Sunshine Week:
Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, non-profits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.
Few things are as important to citizens as clear information transmitted to them about the safety of their neighborhoods. Irrespective of how well we may believe the various public officials in the criminal justice system are performing their duties, restoring confidence in the system demands that they be as open as possible with the data which citizens can use to measure their performance. More importantly, citizens have a fundamental human right to know about the emerging dangers in their neighborhoods. Transparency isn’t just a quaint concept when muggers and murderers may be lurking in our midsts looking for the next victim. Information saves lives!
Many people have been working very hard behind the scenes to obtain open access to the 911 calls for service records. I believe we should have access to the full array of criminal justice records through arrest and prosecution. As a first step, however, I am most concerned about obtaining access to the one fundamental data resource which would notify us about crime in our neighborhoods so that we can be aware of potential threats, be alert to possible offenders, and be in contact with the police when we see suspicious activity.
I envision the 911 calls for service data being processed in an online mapping and reporting system (e.g., citizencrimewatch.org). Various endeavors are actually now underway using an open source, team development approach — which means that the solutions developed can be shared with others, and other developers can build upon previous accomplishments. The added advantage is that the system can always be modified in response to the particular needs of citizens. A number of good ideas have already been offered, including a text message or email alert system, and an online dialog for citizens to enter a wide variety of nuisances like drug dealing activity, blighted housing, abandoned vehicles, and broken streetlamps. All of this really depends upon having a good source of data to start with.
Friday is Freedom of Information Day. Perhaps that would be a good time for all of us who care about the safety of our neighborhoods, for all of us who care about the need to know what public officials are hiding behind information barriers, to make a unified and public announcement about the need for city officials to supply citizens with the raw 911 data.
Time permitting, would an ad in The Times-Picayune be something people would like to consider? Or perhaps a letter to Superintendent Warren Riley and Mayor Ray Nagin officially requesting the data?
Who would get behind this gesture? What are your thoughts? Would we need more time?
