Nassau police lack transparency: report

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

A 2022 study from the Vera Institute had Nassau County tied for the second-lowest score for police transparency in the United States with a ranking of 12 out of 100.

Nassau County, according to the report from the nonprofit organization aimed at transforming the criminal justice system, scored a 0 in every category except for an 81 in police contact information and a 100 in policies. The areas were judged on their data being “accessible,” “usable,” and “meaningful,” according to the report.

“How data is provided should be determined in consultation with community members, especially those impacted by the criminal legal system, to ensure that data is accessible and useful to the people most affected by policing,” Vera Institute officials said in their general recommendations from the report.

Efforts to reach officials from the Police Department for comment were unavailing.

The Vera Institute, a nonprofit national research organization, analyzed police transparency in 94 cities and counties across the United States. Chicago received the highest score with a 70 and just 21 of the areas scored a 50 or above.

The analyzed areas, according to the report, made up 25% of the entire United States population. The criteria used to measure the overall transparency of police departments was collected by Vera between October 2021 and January 2022, according to the report.

Transparency categories used to score the 94 areas were police misconduct complaints, instances of officers shooting firearms, use of force, arrests, 911 calls, traffic and pedesContinued on Page 47