Westland Police Department Launches New Transparency Dashboard

On Tuesday, September 8, Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik announced a partnership with Altovista Technology to provide the department with a new intelligence risk management software program designed to help prevent policing problems from occurring. The partnership is the latest move by Westland Police to promote law enforcement transparency and build community trust and confidence.

The software program, named Arx Alert, allows for two configurable user dashboards; an internal dashboard will provide data directly to the police chief to assist in analyzing departmental risk factors such as police pursuits, use of force and behavioral patterns of officers. A second dashboard will provide up to date information about the police department to the public, including crime rates, arrest data, and citizen complaints. "The Westland Police Department recognizes the need to maintain law enforcement transparency with our community and we continue to build upon the concept," said Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik. "I believe that this program is exactly what the community has been asking for."

Westland Mayor William Wild supports the police department's latest move towards transparency, saying, "Altovista's proven Arx Alert technology seeks to modernize the way we do all things through the application of A.I.-driven decision making, to give us greater supervision and effective accountability management of our police agency."

The Westland Police Department is one of the first agencies in southeast Michigan to have fully implemented this type of management and awareness platform. The department began this effort in 2014 when they committed to becoming a nationally accredited agency, a process which required a department and administrative policy review by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Since 2014, the department has reviewed and updated every policy, procedure, and review system, and each year since 2016, the Westland Police Department has been awarded the gold standard accreditation for law enforcement excellence. This standard has been achieved by less than 5 percent of all law enforcement agencies throughout the country and less than 10 agencies within the state of Michigan.

In 2018, the Westland Police Department became one of the first police agencies in the state to fully implement the Body Worn Camera technology system for every police officer and every patrol car.

In July, the department celebrated a new partnership between the Western Wayne County NAACP and the Conference of Western Wayne (CWW), which works to enhance the quality of life and opportunities for residents and businesses in western Wayne County. The partnership, called Partners for Progress, will serve as a communication forum and listening tour to enhance discussion between police agency and the community they serve.

"No one can ignore recent and highly publicized events involving African Americans and some law enforcement officers. Many police organizations, including ours, are taking a closer look at our use-of-force polices, training, and accountability systems," said Jedrusik. "I truly believe this partnership will improve community relations and help keep Westland safer."

Westland's Arx Alert software program is accessible to the public through the city's website at http://www.cityofwestland.com by clicking on the police page or the open government page and clicking on the Police Transparency Dashboard.