Request for Proposals: Professional Firm to Create Data Dashboard for Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative

BACKGROUND

The Carter Center is seeking a firm or individual to develop an interactive, public-facing data dashboard utilizing metrics identified by the Center and our partners at the Policing Alternatives & Diversion (PAD) Initiative. PAD was established in 2017 to reduce the arrest and incarceration of individuals experiencing needs related to mental health, substance use, and extreme poverty, and to increase the availability of supportive services in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County. In 2023, The Carter Center established a partnership with PAD to support the expansion and institutionalization of alternative responses for quality-of-life issues. The proposed data dashboard is a four-month project to develop, design, and launch a tool that provides up-to-date information regarding the services, like pre-arrest diversion and community referral via ATL 311, that PAD provides. Via the data dashboard, The Carter Center aims to support PAD in improving public knowledge and use of PAD’s services, support increased investment and expansion of the services PAD provides, and generate knowledge for academic, political, and public health entities.

EXISTING DATA DASHBOARDS

Since 2020, among the 50 jurisdictions with the largest law enforcement agencies in the country, at least 19 have established first responder models that offer alternatives to the deployment of law enforcement, with many smaller cities doing the same.1 Public data has been a powerful tool to educate local communities on the beneficial impacts of alternative responses to mental health, substance use, and poverty crises. In Durham, North Carolina, the Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams’(HEART) mental health response program hosts a comprehensive dashboard of call types, response times, outcomes, and personal testimonies among other key metrics from 2022 to date.2 The HEART dashboard was developed with assistance from Harvard University’s Government Performance Lab which developed and published a series of metrics for governments and alternative response teams to track and manage performance and streamline expansion.3

The availability of this data alongside the narratives of those receiving services from HEART cultivates a deeper understanding of alternative response while generating increased awareness of their services and how to navigate them. As more communities adopt alternative response models, it is important to develop a practice of transparency to strengthen trust in community safety solutions.

REQUESTED PROCESS

The Carter Center seeks a firm or individual to develop an interactive, public-facing data dashboard utilizing metrics identified by the Center and PAD. Following a brief discovery, research, and design period, a sample dashboard exemplifying concepts for data visualization and layout should be presented and approved by the Center. At a minimum, the data dashboard should include design elements and interface features that align with standard UX/UI practices. Pipeline development processes must include data cleaning, a system diagram, and authentication routes. Data visualization features should be interactive and able to be downloaded and embedded across a variety of communication channels. The final data dashboard should include, but is not limited to: • User interface features that allow for user interaction with the data; • Simple maintenance features that allow for updates to the data dashboard with minimal that do not require technical expertise; and • Website integration to host this dashboard on PAD’s website and other communication channels. PAD maintains an event tracking database with data regarding pre-arrest and post-booking diversions, charges at the time of contact, community response calls, response times, the number of participants enrolled, and services rendered during community responses, among others. PAD receives flat data files monthly from The City of Atlanta regarding APD arrests, diversions, diversion attempts, E-911 service calls, and ATL311 service calls. PAD is currently leveraging Google Data Studio and Power BI to facilitate analysis and reporting and would like to develop a public-facing interactive dashboard to engage in data storytelling that highlights real-world impact.

REQUESTED DELIVERABLES The minimum expected deliverables include:

• Creation of a data visualization dashboard that: o can be regularly updated by PAD staff;

o is accessible to the public via a user-friendly interface; and,

o the ability to filter the data by at minimum Atlanta Police Department Zone and Atlanta City Council District.

• Development of materials and the facilitation of learning sessions sufficient to ensure PAD staff can competently upload data into and maintain the dashboard including testing, troubleshooting, and launching. Metrics on the dashboard must include, but are not limited to:

• Calls referred to PAD through all sources (311, 911, other) with call types that describe resident concerns; • PAD call response time, duration and outcomes; 3

• City of Atlanta 911 calls by type, location, and disposition; and, • Atlanta Police Department arrests by type and location

TIMELINE

The proposed timeline for data collection, analysis, and the production of deliverables is mid-April 2025 to July 2025. The final Data Dashboard must be completed by July 31, 2025. Cost proposals should include the cost of all personnel, travel, supplies, production of digital and printed reports, and indirect costs required to produce all requested deliverables.