Authorized by the Office of the Attorney General and RCW 10.118, WADEPS is the state-appointed data custodian for statewide police use-of-force reporting requirements.
Our Mission
To make public safety data discoverable, accessible, and meaningful.
Our Vision
Empower individuals, agencies, communities, and governments throughout Washington to address complex challenges in public safety and drive positive change through evidence-based analysis and decision-making.
Legislative Mandate
RCW 10.118 grew out of a report Attorney General Bob Ferguson released in June 2020 recommending the state create a centralized, publicly accessible website with information about police use-of-force incidents.
Listening to and learning from public safety officers and administrators, community members, government representatives, and experts in criminal justice has been vital to developing the WADEPS platform and driving innovation.
WADEPS has organized more than a dozen focus groups and presentations with community members and leaders and law enforcement agency personnel. More are planned for 2025 and beyond.
Additionally, 50 individuals from 12 agencies are serving as beta testers—reviewing the training and data submission protocols, and providing feedback which helps ensure WADEPS procedures support agency protocols and processes.
If you need an accessible format, please contact wa.deps@wsu.edu for assistance.
People and Organizations
The Washington State Date Exchange for Public Safety (WADEPS) is managed by Washington State University (WSU) and supported by secure, world-class, cloud-based technology.
WADEPS leverages the broad range of expertise and resources available at a land-grant research university and through statewide agencies.
Washington State University
Center for Interdisciplinary Statistical Education and Research
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Division of Governmental Studies and Services
Information Technology Services
Office of Research
School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs
University Marketing and Communications
Partner Organizations
Seattle University Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensics
Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission
Peopl e
Our interdisciplinary leadership team includes experts in criminal justice research and technology development, experienced statisticians and data analysts, and practiced communications and training professionals.
Executive Director
David Makin
Data Governance
Matthew Hickman
Training & Focus Groups
Season Hoard
Data Literacy
Dean Johnson
Statistical Analysis
Bala Krishnamoorthy
Agency Outreach
Christina Sanders
Communications
Joanna Steward
Contextualization
Dale Willis
Workforce Development
Funding for WADEPS includes paid professional development opportunities for graduate student researchers and undergraduate student interns in multiple disciplines to learn cutting-edge technologies, perform hands-on work with database systems and data processing, provide agency and public communications, and collaborate on scholarly work in criminal justice and data analytics with faculty mentors.
