Committee reviews police interactions dataset and plans public-facing dashboard and feedback tools

Ken (data lead) presented a summary dataset of Narberth police interactions for 2023–24 and told the Police Advisory Committee the counts reflect department contacts rather than a pure crime trend.

Ken said, "So, like, in 2023, there were 2,400 or so interactions. In 2024, there were 2,800," and he noted that nearly half of the recorded interactions fall under a broad "public service" category. Committee members pressed for a clearer breakdown and asked for a dataset that would include the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) fields used to track demographic details for stops and incidents.

Rebecca (staff member) said the borough has selected a web developer and the public-facing police-data page is in progress; she said the team is targeting a fall launch. Committee members discussed combining the dashboard with community events so residents can ask questions and leave feedback. Options discussed included a low-tech comment box at events and a QR code linking to a Google form; members noted a Google form is not truly anonymous but is practical for short feedback collection.

The committee also discussed a separate memorandum seeking an audit of the borough's phone-tree and a dedicated phone line for public-facing communications; staff said they are following up with the communications provider. The solicitor clarified the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act allows the group to collaborate on web-page content outside of a public meeting so long as they are not changing policy. The committee did not take a formal vote but requested more detailed UCR-style exports and a timeline for the public page.