• What is UCJI?

 

This effort began in 2020 as part of our founder’s public policy doctoral work. What was originally just a series of academic papers, the Utah Criminal Justice Institute (UCJI) evolved into a community-based organization that seeks to bring Utah criminal justice data to the public sphere. 

 

We do this by working with Utah government agencies to obtain data that is otherwise difficult for the public to access. We then put this data into interactive dashboards, blog posts, and podcasts. Our theory and hope is that by bridging the gap between the public and this data, we can inform the public on criminal justice issues, thereby enabling them to become more informed and active participants.
 

• What if I find an error with your data?

 

You can reach out to us directly at admin@ucji.org

 

• Where do you get your data?

 

We get all of our data from official government sources. 

 

For the Officer Misconduct Database, all of our data comes directly from POST and is updated following each POST disciplinary council meeting.

For the DUI dashboard, we collected data from the Utah Highway Safety Board, the DMV - Driver’s License Division, and the Administrative Office of the Courts. 

For our Crime in Utah dashboard, that data came directly from the FBI.

For the law enforcement employment dashboard, that data came directly from the FBI.

 

• What if I disagree with the opinions, observations, or assertions expressed on the site?

 

Then you can unfollow us or alternatively, you can engage in appropriate, thoughtful, respectful, meaningful, and informed discourse by reaching out to us. We have ways to provide a platform for you to express your disagreement. 

 

• What is the background of those involved?

 

This effort was started by both ex-law enforcement and criminal justice professionals with the help of current law enforcement, professors from Utah universities, local journalists, and state legislators.

 

• Are you anti-cop?

 

No. We aren’t anything other than pro-data and pro following what the data says. 

 

We are deeply supportive of the work law enforcement does. Our founder worked in law enforcement for the Utah Department of Corrections, Utah Valley University, and Provo Police Department. However, we believe it is imperative to publish police misconduct information to support good governance, transparency, and truth. If you do not like the data posted, you will need to reach out to the government agency responsible for that data.

 

• How do I help?

 

We are always looking for people to help on a volunteer basis (for now). We always need help cleaning the data we’re compiling, help with social media, podcast production, and many other areas. 

 

• Why is commenting on posts limited?

 

Due to the volume of harassing, threatening, or otherwise trolling comments, we’ve limited comments on our posts. Again, if you would like to engage with us in appropriate, thoughtful, respectful, meaningful, and informed discourse, you can do so by reaching out to us at admin@ucji.org