Salt Lake Tribune uses UTA data to pinpoint crime

After a long legal battle, The Salt Lake Tribune obtained data from the Utah Transit Authority as part of a countywide crime-mapping project.

After the newspaper won a ruling from the State Records Committee saying the data was public and should be provided free, the agency filed suit to reverse that decision. The suit claimed, in part, that UTA could not access the data because it was stored inside a third-party vendor database.

A settlement last month led to release of the data, which was used in a Sunday story that looked at the types of crimes committed along bus and TRAX lines in 2012. Among the findings: Passengers are more likely to be exposed to crime along bus lines but UTA reported only a handful of the most serious offenses, such as aggravated robberies and aggravated assaults.

Introduction

Hello, I am Pamela Manson, the new administrator for Utah’s Right and also a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune, covering various cities around the state.

Please send ideas, suggestions and concerns about Utah’s Right to webmaster@utahsright.com, or reach me at my own email, pmanson@sltrib.com. You can also follow us at @UtahsRight for database updates, information about open-records laws and transparency in government, as well as other news, including information about our upcoming redesign and new features.