Data Science, Police Accountability, and Community Engagement Research Lab

The Data Science, Police Accountability, and Community Engagement (DSPACE) Group partners with communities to work towards data-informed police accountability. Our group originated as the Small Town Policing Accountability (SToPA) Lab within the Institute for Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (QSIDE Institute). The SToPA Lab was developed in 2021 by a group of data scientists, social justice activists, and statisticians in response to discriminatory practices within the Williamstown, MA police department [1]. In Spring 2024, members of the SToPA Lab formed this new DSPACE research group focused on communities of all sizes and as the research-intensive branch in the realm of police accountability. Our team of mathematicians, statisticians, and data scientists collaborates with community members and organizations to answer challenging questions about patterns in policing. Our endeavor is to make a direct and meaningful impact with the public and to contribute to scholarly research at the intersection of data science/statistics and policing.