TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State University has launched a new comprehensive online resource that amalgamates extensive data on violent deaths across the state. The Arizona Violent Death Reporting System (AZ-VDRS) Dashboard, developed by the university’s Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety (CVPCS), offers a single access point for data on homicides, suicides, deaths involving law enforcement, and deaths of undetermined intent.
The AZ-VDRS Dashboard was curated to serve a wide spectrum of users including law enforcement officials, policymakers, journalists, and academic researchers. According to Charles Katz, Director of CVPCS and Professor at ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the dashboard addresses growing demands for consolidated data concerning violent deaths in Arizona.
“This resource was precisely tailored to meet the needs of various bodies that regularly require up-to-date and comprehensive information on violent deaths for multiple purposes,” Katz explained. These range from academic studies and policy planning to grant applications and law enforcement training programs.
Data on the dashboard span from 2015 through 2022 and is expected to receive updates as new information becomes available. The initiation of the AZ-VDRS Dashboard came as a response to the painstaking processes of acquiring and analyzing data traditionally faced by stakeholders. “Given the involved nature of investigations related to these deaths, data compilation can be delayed until each case is thoroughly vetted,” Katz said. He aims to expedite the updating process to within 30 days of data receipt from relevant Arizona authorities.
Katz, together with CVPCS research analyst Jordan Batchelor, invested three months into the development of the dashboard, ensuring its accuracy by conducting intensive tests and soliciting feedback from various review agencies. This preparatory phase helped optimize the dashboard’s format to ensure ease of use and accessibility.
The dashboard is intricately designed to present data visually through rates, counts, and percentages while also delving into the demographics and extended circumstances surrounding each recorded incident. This allows it to serve as a crucial tool in pinpointing regions in Arizona that are in dire need of intervention and prevention services.
Katz anticipates that among the most frequent users of the dashboard will be chiefs of police, medical examiners, NGOs, prevention and intervention specialists, and educators. He expressed that the tool’s creation would not mark its final version but rather the beginning of an evolving resource that will adapt to the users’ feedback and the emergent needs of the community.
The AZ-VDRS forms part of a broader initiative under the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), which includes all 50 states along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NVDRS provides a foundation for a better understanding of violent deaths nationwide. It is recognized as the only state-based reporting system that amalgamates data from multiple sources into a richly detailed, anonymized database.
This database is instrumental for local communities and states, providing them with vital information that supports decisions aimed at reducing violence and tracking their progress over time. As Arizona continues to face challenges related to violent deaths, the AZ-VDRS Dashboard promises to be a pivotal tool in equipping stakeholders with the knowledge required to craft informed, effective interventions.