• OpenOversight VA is an open source police data project by the public, for the public. We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit working for law enforcement transparency in Virginia. * We file hundreds of public records requests a year to over 295 Virginia law enforcement agencies to maintain our database. We also utilize open-source intelligence research, the work of independent journalists, community contributions, and data aggregation to track and publicize information about incidents, investigate officer histories, obtain unreleased agency records, and share information with the public.
• We've collected data on over 30,000 sworn law enforcement officers in Virginia, archived over 100 incidents, added over 1,000 photos, and published over 75 full police & sheriff's office policy manuals, many of which had not been previously released to the public.
• This project emerged in response to events that took place in Richmond, Virginia during the 2020 George Floyd Uprising. It is dedicated to victims of police brutality, those brave enough to share their stories, and every officer who "doesn't have a name." Now they do.

• If you want to volunteer, you can create an account.
• Send an email to request approval. This will allow you to classify images, which is our entry-level task. (You have to send an email or you will not get approved.)
• If you want to get involved on a more intensive level, in your email please provide an explanation of what connections you have to this project/an existing volunteer who can provide a reference for you, what you'd like to do, and why you'd like to help out. We'll be in touch.
• You can also email tips or documents to the contact email above, submit photos on our website, or report an encounter you've had with an officer in your area. We appreciate your willingness to help.

Volunteers can take on a number of different responsibilities and roles, depending on their interests and skills.

• Incident tracker (research, data entry) - needed
• Rosters (sending FOIAs, data formatting) - always needed
• Coder (python, javascript) - needed
• Designer (HTML, CSS, graphic design) - needed
• Data manager (SQL, python)
• Researcher (adding photos, etc) - needed
• Admin (organizing, paperwork) - probably needed
• Press contact (writing skills)

• "Am I A Cop?" Search Officer Database
• Identify A Cop (Name, Department, or Badge Number)
• Try Facial Recognition Search (Credit: Bryan Davis)
• FOIA Library | View on DocumentCloud
• Browse Incidents & Documents by Department

• If you have a question about a police officer in your area, your police department's policies, or need help identifying a cop, we may be able to help. Feel free to reach out.
• For legal inquiries, media requests, or other general questions, please contact us directly at [email protected].
• For everything else, including questions about who we are or what we do (or to submit tips), email [email protected]. We hope you enjoy our work.