Cohort 2022

Casa San José

Mapping Allegheny County Immigrant Policing Policies

Allegheny County, PA 

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is home to Pittsburgh and 130 surrounding municipalities, each with its own police department. The Latinx community is the fastest-growing population in the county and often distrusts police officers because many collaborate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), do not communicate in the appropriate language(s), and have a reputation for racial profiling. Casa San José found that a lack of information on these issues was creating unsafe situations for Latinx community members. To change this, it seeks to increase data transparency and create publicly available, accessible data on the nature of Latinx people’s interactions with police. 

With Catalyst Grant funding, Casa San José will obtain law enforcement data from police departments in Allegheny County via Right-to-Know requests to create an accessible, interactive data visualization that benefits the local Latinx and immigrant population. The project aims to provide information to protect and inform Latinx residents during police interactions by including data such as whether police departments collaborate with ICE, how many police officers speak Spanish, and their use of force and related polices. Casa San José hopes that when equipped with more accessible information, the Latinx community will be empowered to advocate for change.