Connecticut residents will now have access to more than 100 police agencies' information in the state. The ACLU of Connecticut launched “Project Flashlight” on Tuesday to centralize information about policing in the state. The goal is to hold departments more accountable for police use of force and misconduct.
Dan Barrett, the ACLU of Connecticut’s legal director, said people should know what their local governments are doing when it comes to oversight of the police.
“What it’s going to do is allow people to demand accountability and to demand measures and create measures of accountability that don’t exist today,” said Barrett. He said local governments tend to protect police “no matter what they do.”
Barrett hopes this project will offer a new level of transparency for decision makers and the public. The ACLU looks to uncover information the state, cities and towns have not disclosed about police.
“The way that our governments have decided to allow police to operate involves almost unbelievable protections no matter what they do, so it’s a starting point to allowing people to understand the current landscape and how bad it really is,” said Barrett.
Project Flashlight has information about police commissions, officer contracts, use of force and litigation. Barrett hopes by posting the information online, residents will push their state and local governments to “reduce the size, role and responsibilities of policing.” Instead, he wants to see that money fund public health and safety.
